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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 like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. content — the amount
  4. bound — obliged
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bound — tied together
  10. field — for sport
  11. rash — a series
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. content — happy
  14. rash — hasty
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bound — certain
  18. field — a subject
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. snap — to click
  24. field — farmland

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