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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 116 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. branch — a division
  3. net — after costs
  4. hand — help
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. hand — in cards
  9. staff — a stick
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. net — in sport
  12. staff — employees
  13. fork — in a road
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. can — a tin
  16. mark — a trace
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. net — for catching
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. mark — a grade
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. staff — employees
  24. can — to be able to

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