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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. spell — a short time
  6. branch — a division
  7. track — to keep track
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. scale — size or range
  10. scale — in music
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. track — a path
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. track — a song
  18. key — for a lock
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. key — in music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. key — the most important part

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