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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. firm — a company
  5. branch — a division
  6. shower — rain
  7. shower — to wash
  8. prune — to trim
  9. current — of water
  10. current — electric
  11. row — a line
  12. prune — to trim
  13. row — to paddle
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. current — happening now
  19. ball — a dance
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. sharp — clever
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ball — a great time
  24. firm — decided

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