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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. squash — the sport
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. scale — size or range
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. file — a tool
  8. mate — a partner
  9. squash — to crush
  10. scale — in music
  11. mate — to breed
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. file — a line of people
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. mate — a friend
  17. lean — thin
  18. file — a document
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. branch — a division
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. bear — the animal
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bear — the animal

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