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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. pound — a weight
  3. last — final
  4. season — of the year
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. race — a contest
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. last — finally
  14. last — to go on
  15. branch — a division
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. season — in sport
  18. race — humankind
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. race — the arms race
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — to cool the air

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