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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. club — for dancing
  3. staff — a stick
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cold — an illness
  7. lean — thin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. branch — a division
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for golf
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. object — a thing
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. staff — employees
  16. lean — to bend
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. snap — to click
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. object — to protest
  23. cold — not warm
  24. object — an aim

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