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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bear — the animal
  3. last — finally
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. capital — money
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. last — final
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. snap — to click
  15. cell — in biology
  16. last — to go on
  17. branch — a division
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. capital — a city
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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