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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 bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. scale — size or range
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. ground — the earth
  7. rash — hasty
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. tube — a container
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — in music
  15. ground — a position
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. bat — the animal
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. rash — a series
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. bat — in an idiom

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