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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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. key — the most important part
  4. cell — in biology
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. tube — the underground
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. bank — for money
  10. bank — for money
  11. cell — a phone
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. tube — a container
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bank — of a river
  16. court — for sport
  17. branch — a division
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. mine — for digging
  23. rock — music
  24. key — in music

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