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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. spring — of water
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. bass — low music
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stand — to bear
  9. track — to keep track
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. spring — a coil
  12. spring — the season
  13. branch — a division
  14. bass — the fish
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. kick — in football
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. bass — the instrument

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