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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. hand — in cards
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. rock — a stone
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. hand — help
  12. track — a path
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. track — a song
  15. file — a line of people
  16. capital — a city
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. rock — music
  20. file — a tool
  21. file — a document
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. capital — 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