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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mug — a cup
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. mug — to rob
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. land — to come down
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. cold — not warm
  12. land — a country
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. saw — the tool
  15. toast — bread
  16. mug — a face
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. cold — an illness
  19. branch — a division
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. saw — the tool
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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