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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. mug — a face
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. board — to get on
  6. hand — help
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. board — a committee
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. hand — in cards
  13. spell — letters
  14. branch — a division
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. spell — magic
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. mug — to rob
  22. mug — a cup
  23. toast — bread
  24. mine — an explosive

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