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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. rock — a stone
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rock — music
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cold — not warm
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. vault — a safe
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mark — a grade
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. branch — a division
  24. cold — the Cold War

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