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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. current — electric
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. mine — for digging
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. cue — for pool
  8. bear — the animal
  9. squash — the sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. current — happening now
  14. cue — a signal
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. bear — the animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. cue — a hint
  19. current — of water
  20. snap — to click
  21. rash — hasty
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rash — a series
  24. branch — of a bank

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