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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 116 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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. bank — for money
  5. present — the time now
  6. present — there
  7. rest — a break
  8. rest — what's left
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. branch — a division
  11. ball — a dance
  12. game — a match
  13. present — a gift
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — of a river
  18. wind — moving air
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rest — what's left
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. branch — of a tree

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