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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. cue — a hint
  5. craft — boats
  6. cold — an illness
  7. sharp — clever
  8. bore — to tire
  9. hand — help
  10. cold — not warm
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. branch — a division
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. craft — a skill
  16. bore — to drill
  17. cue — for pool
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. cue — a signal
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. hand — in cards
  24. staff — a stick

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