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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. key — the most important part
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. key — for a lock
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. mark — a grade
  11. key — in music
  12. bear — the animal
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. drill — army training
  15. drill — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. drill — a practice
  18. clip — a video
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. clip — to cut
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. clip — for paper

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