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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. kick — in football
  3. row — a line
  4. cold — not warm
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. key — in music
  7. craft — a skill
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. craft — boats
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bound — tied together
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. key — for a lock
  19. bound — certain
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. bound — obliged
  24. dip — to sink

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