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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. tear — from crying
  3. cell — a phone
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bear — the animal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. mark — a trace
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. cap — a lid
  20. tear — to rip
  21. tear — from crying
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bear — to put up with

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