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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. content — happy
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. content — the amount
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. key — in music
  17. ball — a dance
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. key — for a lock
  22. snap — to click
  23. key — the most important part
  24. branch — a division

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