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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. branch — a division
  5. pit — a hole
  6. net — after costs
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. pit — in a race
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. row — to paddle
  12. saw — the tool
  13. net — in sport
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. wake — a trail
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. row — a line
  18. track — a path
  19. net — for catching
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. track — a song
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. track — to keep track

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