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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. net — for catching
  4. shower — rain
  5. shower — to wash
  6. bear — the animal
  7. fall — to drop
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rock — a stone
  11. fall — the season
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. fall — to drop
  15. net — in sport
  16. net — after costs
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. fine — high quality
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — music
  24. bat — 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