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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. key — for a lock
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. branch — a division
  6. march — the month
  7. swing — music
  8. land — a country
  9. hand — help
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. tube — a container
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. land — ground
  18. tube — the underground
  19. key — the most important part
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. key — in music
  23. land — to come down
  24. hand — in cards

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