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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. branch — a division
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. roll — a list
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bass — low music
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bass — the fish
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tube — a container
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. tube — the underground
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. roll — a cake
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. tube — in a tire

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