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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. ground — crushed
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. hand — help
  7. squash — the sport
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. squash — to crush
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. ground — the earth
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. present — the time now
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. ground — a position
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bass — low music
  24. branch — of a tree

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