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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 120 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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. swing — to play on
  3. mug — a cup
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cue — a hint
  6. stand — to bear
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. cue — a signal
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. cue — for pool
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. tube — the underground
  13. mug — a face
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. tube — a container
  16. cell — a phone
  17. swing — music
  18. swing — in golf
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. branch — a division
  24. mug — to rob

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