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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. branch — a division
  4. saw — the tool
  5. mate — a partner
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. season — in sport
  9. ball — a great time
  10. ball — a dance
  11. season — of the year
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. wind — moving air
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. mate — to breed
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mate — a friend
  22. drill — army training
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. snap — to click

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