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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. staff — a stick
  5. ball — a great time
  6. spring — of water
  7. branch — a division
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. spring — the season
  16. ball — a dance
  17. spring — a coil
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bat — the animal

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