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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. row — a line
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. game — wild animals
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. object — to protest
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. track — a path
  18. game — a match
  19. track — a song
  20. row — to paddle
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. track — to keep track
  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