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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 116 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 cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. cell — a phone
  3. game — a match
  4. firm — a company
  5. cell — in biology
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. board — to get on
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. tear — from crying
  12. mug — a face
  13. board — a committee
  14. branch — a division
  15. firm — decided
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. tear — to rip
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. firm — steady
  20. mug — a cup
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. game — wild animals
  24. mug — to rob

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