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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. file — a line of people
  3. branch — a division
  4. ball — a dance
  5. file — a document
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spring — the season
  9. mug — a face
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mug — a cup
  12. spring — a coil
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. key — the most important part
  15. ball — a great time
  16. spring — of water
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pop — music
  23. file — a tool
  24. mug — to rob

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