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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. row — to paddle
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. squash — to crush
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — a division
  15. mark — a trace
  16. content — the amount
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. content — happy
  19. mark — a grade
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. squash — the sport
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. kick — in football
  24. bear — the animal

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