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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rock — a stone
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. tear — from crying
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. saw — the tool
  11. tear — to rip
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. rock — music
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. branch — a division
  18. tear — from crying
  19. saw — the tool
  20. pitch — completely
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bat — the animal

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