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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. saw — the tool
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. shower — to wash
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. roll — a list
  10. shower — rain
  11. stand — to bear
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. content — the amount
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. content — happy
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. branch — a division
  23. roll — a cake
  24. branch — of a bank

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