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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. hand — help
  6. saw — the tool
  7. shower — rain
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wake — a trail
  10. branch — a division
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mug — a face
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wind — moving air
  21. mug — a cup
  22. bear — the animal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. mug — to rob

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