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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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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. mate — to breed
  3. shower — rain
  4. shower — to wash
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fine — all right
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. fine — high quality
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. mate — a friend
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mate — a partner
  23. scale — in music
  24. ruler — a monarch

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