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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. snap — to click
  3. shower — rain
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. march — the month
  6. staff — employees
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. staff — employees
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. shower — to wash
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. staff — a stick

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