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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 124 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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. branch — a division
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. current — of water
  7. shower — to wash
  8. current — electric
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bass — the fish
  12. net — in sport
  13. bass — low music
  14. current — happening now
  15. row — a line
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. lie — to recline
  18. net — for catching
  19. row — to paddle
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. shower — rain
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. net — after costs

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