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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. lean — thin
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. branch — a division
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. lean — to bend
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to click
  13. content — happy
  14. content — the amount
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. cabinet — ministers

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