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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. cold — not warm
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. capital — money
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. capital — a city
  9. key — for a lock
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. key — in music
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. key — the most important part
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. branch — a division
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — an illness
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. capital — a big letter

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