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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. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. fork — in a road
  5. tear — to rip
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. last — final
  8. cell — in biology
  9. last — finally
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. branch — a division
  14. game — a match
  15. tear — from crying
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. last — to go on
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. cell — a phone
  24. fork — a garden tool

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