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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. ball — a great time
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. branch — a division
  6. land — ground
  7. rock — a stone
  8. land — a country
  9. shower — to wash
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — finally
  15. last — final
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. shower — rain
  18. rock — music
  19. net — for catching
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. last — to go on
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — after costs
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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