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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. stand — to bear
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. branch — a division
  7. swing — in golf
  8. file — a line of people
  9. mate — to breed
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. swing — to play on
  15. file — a tool
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. swing — music
  20. file — a document
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mate — a partner
  23. row — a line
  24. row — to paddle

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