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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. drill — a practice
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. drill — the tool
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. rush — hurry
  7. fork — in a road
  8. key — the most important part
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. drill — army training
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. branch — a division
  13. key — in music
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. bass — low music
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. key — for a lock
  20. bass — the fish
  21. shower — rain
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rush — to hurry

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