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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. land — a country
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. land — to come down
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. game — wild animals
  11. lean — thin
  12. kick — in football
  13. track — a song
  14. game — a match
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. bass — low music
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lean — to bend
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. land — ground
  24. game — a kind of play

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