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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  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. tear — from crying
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. club — for dancing
  9. tear — from crying
  10. tube — a container
  11. branch — a division
  12. club — a group
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. tube — the underground
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. tear — to rip
  20. club — for golf
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. toast — bread
  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