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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. cabinet — a cupboard
  3. spell — letters
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. spell — magic
  7. tube — a container
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. net — after costs
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. tube — the underground
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — a cup
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. net — for catching
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. net — in sport
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. branch — a division
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. spell — a short time
  24. branch — of a bank

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