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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. present — there
  4. present — the time now
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. present — a gift
  8. object — to protest
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. firm — a company
  13. object — a thing
  14. drill — army training
  15. rock — music
  16. firm — steady
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. drill — the tool
  19. wake — a trail
  20. object — an aim
  21. cell — in biology
  22. rock — a stone
  23. cell — a phone
  24. drill — a practice

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