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

Word bank: bat · tube · rest · nail · game · firm · branch · key

  1. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bat — the animal
  4. key — in music
  5. game — a match
  6. firm — decided
  7. key — the most important part
  8. firm — steady
  9. tube — the underground
  10. rest — what's left
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rest — a break
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. tube — a container
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. key — for a lock
  20. branch — a division
  21. game — wild animals
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. firm — a company
  24. nail — for a hammer

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