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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. bank — for money
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. fall — to drop
  5. hand — in cards
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. present — a gift
  9. wake — a trail
  10. present — there
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. fall — the season
  13. hand — help
  14. game — a match
  15. fall — to drop
  16. craft — boats
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. branch — a division
  19. game — wild animals
  20. craft — a skill
  21. bank — of a river
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. present — the time now
  24. bank — for money

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