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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. bass — the fish
  3. branch — a division
  4. row — a line
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. staff — a stick
  8. row — to paddle
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rest — a break
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. staff — employees
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bass — low music
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. rest — what's left
  23. rest — what's left
  24. coach — a trainer

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