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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. key — the most important part
  4. branch — a division
  5. fall — the season
  6. track — a path
  7. track — a song
  8. cell — a phone
  9. key — in music
  10. object — a thing
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. object — to protest
  13. rash — a series
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cell — in biology
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. object — an aim
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — to drop
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. track — to keep track

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