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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. rush — hurry
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. current — electric
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. current — happening now
  8. branch — a division
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. current — of water
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. hide — animal 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