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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mate — a partner
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. bass — the fish
  7. shower — to wash
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. branch — a division
  12. mug — a face
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mine — for digging
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bass — low music
  24. coach — a trainer

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