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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wound — an injury
  6. saw — the tool
  7. row — a line
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. key — for a lock
  11. branch — a division
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. sharp — clever
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. row — to paddle
  17. board — a committee
  18. board — to get on
  19. key — in music
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. key — the most important part
  23. wound — an injury
  24. branch — of a bank

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