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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. prune — to trim
  3. wound — an injury
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. key — in music
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. press — newspapers
  9. prune — to trim
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. press — to push
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. key — the most important part
  23. press — a publisher
  24. key — for a lock

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