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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spring — a coil
  8. bear — the animal
  9. branch — a division
  10. pop — music
  11. board — a committee
  12. game — wild animals
  13. spring — the season
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. board — to get on
  18. pop — to visit
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pop — soda
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. spring — of water
  24. bear — 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