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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. scale — size or range
  6. fine — all right
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. scale — in music
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rush — hurry
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. game — wild animals
  17. dip — to sink
  18. branch — a division
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. fine — high quality
  23. game — a match
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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