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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mark — a grade
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mark — a trace
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rock — music
  10. tube — the underground
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. saw — the tool
  18. content — the amount
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. tube — a container
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. content — happy
  24. tube — in a tire

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