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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. roll — a list
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. saw — the tool
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. present — the time now
  7. object — to protest
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. mug — a cup
  10. branch — a division
  11. object — a thing
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. mug — to rob
  14. wind — moving air
  15. roll — a cake
  16. wind — moving air
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. present — there
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mug — a face
  22. present — a gift
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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