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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. chest — of your body
  5. fall — the season
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. fall — to drop
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. track — to keep track
  15. chest — a box
  16. branch — a division
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. track — a path
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. fall — to drop
  23. track — a song
  24. chest — of your body

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