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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. suit — clothes
  3. branch — a division
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. suit — in cards
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. file — a document
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. game — wild animals
  14. suit — to fit
  15. pass — a permit
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mine — for digging
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. wind — moving air
  20. file — a tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. game — a match

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