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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. rash — hasty
  3. present — there
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rash — a series
  6. cue — a hint
  7. present — the time now
  8. cue — a signal
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — a division
  11. present — a gift
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wound — an injury
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. game — wild animals
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. rash — on the skin

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