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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. bank — for money
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — for catching
  5. bank — of a river
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. kick — in football
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. net — in sport
  14. shower — rain
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. net — after costs
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. shower — to wash
  24. bank — for money

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