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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. mate — a friend
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mate — a partner
  15. band — a ring
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. branch — a division
  18. mate — to breed
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. band — a music group
  21. mine — for digging
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. band — a rubber band

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