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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cold — an illness
  3. drill — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. cue — for pool
  6. bark — to shout
  7. saw — the tool
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. drill — army training
  10. branch — a division
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. cue — a signal
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. cue — a hint
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cold — not warm

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