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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 116 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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bear — the animal
  4. hand — help
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. current — happening now
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. current — electric
  10. rest — a break
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bear — the animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. row — a line
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. row — to paddle
  19. hand — in cards
  20. current — of water
  21. branch — a division
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bear — to put up with

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