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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 116 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. band — a music group
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. current — of water
  6. cue — a hint
  7. current — happening now
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cue — a signal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. band — a ring
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. branch — a division
  15. cue — for pool
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. current — electric
  18. land — ground
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. content — the amount
  21. land — a country
  22. saw — the tool
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. land — to come down

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