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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. snap — to click
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mug — to rob
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cue — a hint
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. saw — the tool
  11. branch — a division
  12. present — there
  13. rash — a series
  14. rash — hasty
  15. saw — the tool
  16. present — a gift
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mug — a face
  21. cue — for pool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. present — the time now
  24. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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