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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — the animal
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. present — the time now
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. plane — a tool
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. branch — a division
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bear — the animal

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