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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. branch — a division
  3. tear — to rip
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. tear — from crying
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wake — a trail
  12. content — the amount
  13. key — in music
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. tear — from crying
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. key — for a lock
  18. game — wild animals
  19. key — the most important part
  20. content — happy
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. game — a match

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