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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. I can't ________________ this cold.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. roll — a list
  3. staff — a stick
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. roll — a cake
  7. rash — hasty
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. stand — to bear
  10. rash — a series
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. wake — a trail
  15. branch — a division
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. kick — in football
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. saw — the tool
  22. staff — employees
  23. staff — employees
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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