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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. pitch — completely
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. hand — help
  10. cue — for pool
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. hand — in cards
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. cue — a signal
  20. wind — moving air
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. branch — a division

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