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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 120 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's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. cue — a hint
  5. court — of law
  6. branch — a division
  7. lean — thin
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. lean — to bend
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. court — of a king
  13. saw — the tool
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. court — for sport
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bass — low music
  19. cue — for pool
  20. scale — in music
  21. bass — the fish
  22. net — in sport
  23. scale — size or range
  24. lean — to rest against

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