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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. shower — to wash
  3. object — a thing
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. staff — a stick
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. branch — a division
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. object — an aim
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. object — to protest
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — rain
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. trunk — of a car

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