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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wound — an injury
  5. roll — a cake
  6. branch — a division
  7. pop — music
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. cap — a lid
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. roll — a list
  16. pop — to visit
  17. cap — a hat
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. wound — an injury
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. pop — soda
  23. bear — the animal
  24. branch — of a tree

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