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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. branch — a division
  3. present — the time now
  4. wind — moving air
  5. club — for dancing
  6. ground — crushed
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. present — there
  10. present — a gift
  11. ground — a position
  12. mug — to rob
  13. club — for golf
  14. mug — a face
  15. ball — a great time
  16. wind — moving air
  17. ball — a dance
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. club — a group
  22. ground — the earth
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. leaves — lets stay

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