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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. saw — the tool
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. rush — hurry
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. deal — to handle
  10. cue — a signal
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. cue — for pool
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. capital — a city
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. cue — a hint
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. saw — the tool
  21. capital — money
  22. dip — to sink
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. capital — a big letter

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