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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 124 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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. present — a gift
  3. branch — a division
  4. present — there
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. file — a line of people
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. file — a tool
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. cue — for pool
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. wake — a trail
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. present — the time now
  17. cue — a hint
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. plane — a tool
  20. cue — a signal
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. file — a document
  24. straw — a straw man

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