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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. key — the most important part
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. net — for catching
  10. can — a tin
  11. key — in music
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mine — for digging
  15. key — for a lock
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — after costs
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. branch — a division
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. row — to paddle
  24. mine — an explosive

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