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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. hand — in cards
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. last — finally
  7. last — to go on
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. staff — a stick
  10. firm — steady
  11. firm — a company
  12. last — final
  13. dip — to sink
  14. staff — employees
  15. current — electric
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. current — of water
  19. hand — help
  20. rash — a series
  21. staff — employees
  22. current — happening now
  23. rash — hasty
  24. hand — part of the body

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