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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. tear — to rip
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tear — from crying
  7. toast — bread
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. spell — letters
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. plane — a tool
  13. tear — from crying
  14. spell — magic
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. roll — a list
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. roll — a cake
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. spell — a short time
  24. mouse — for a computer

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