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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. branch — a division
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. content — the amount
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. cold — not warm
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. cold — an illness
  9. pass — a permit
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. rock — music
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wound — an injury
  22. content — happy
  23. rock — a stone
  24. nail — for a hammer

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