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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. roll — a list
  5. branch — a division
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. saw — the tool
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. spring — of water
  12. roll — a cake
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. stem — to come from
  15. band — a music group
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. spring — the season
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a rubber band

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