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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. mate — a friend
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. key — the most important part
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — to breed
  11. key — in music
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. rash — a series
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wound — an injury
  17. fine — all right
  18. shower — rain
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. key — for a lock
  21. rash — hasty
  22. branch — a division
  23. fine — high quality
  24. shower — to wash

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