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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stand — to bear
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. branch — a division
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — for a lock
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bear — the animal
  15. kick — in football
  16. shower — rain
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. cell — in biology
  22. key — in music
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cell — a phone

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