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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. row — to paddle
  3. branch — a division
  4. pass — a permit
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. kid — to tease
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. last — to go on
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. kid — child
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. wake — a trail
  16. row — a line
  17. last — final
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. last — finally
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. row — a quarrel

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