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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cold · board · branch · bear · lean · cue · bay · pitcher

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. lean — thin
  3. cold — an illness
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. cold — not warm
  9. lean — to bend
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. board — a committee
  14. bear — the animal
  15. cue — a hint
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. board — to get on
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. branch — a division
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. branch — of a bank

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