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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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Word bank
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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. key — for a lock
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. key — in music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. row — a line
  10. bound — certain
  11. bound — obliged
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. bound — tied together
  14. row — to paddle
  15. scale — in music
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. key — the most important part
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. scale — size or range
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pass — a permit
  24. arm — part of the body

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