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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. branch — a division
  3. mate — to breed
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. shower — rain
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. rule — a law
  9. mate — a friend
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. shower — to wash
  12. dip — to sink
  13. rest — what's left
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. rock — music
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. rule — government
  19. rest — what's left
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. rock — a stone
  23. mate — a partner
  24. dip — to dunk

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