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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. key — the most important part
  3. branch — a division
  4. season — in sport
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. hand — help
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. stand — to bear
  13. key — for a lock
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hand — in cards
  16. season — of the year
  17. key — in music
  18. branch — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com