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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. dip — to sink
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. root — the cause
  10. bear — the animal
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. chest — of your body
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. chest — a box
  15. branch — a division
  16. bear — the animal
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. root — of a plant
  19. key — the most important part
  20. key — for a lock
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. chest — of your body
  23. root — of a word
  24. key — in music

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