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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.

Make a worksheet

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
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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: game · bear · wind · sharp · lash · cabinet · mouse · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. sharp — clever
  4. game — a match
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wind — moving air
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bear — the animal
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. branch — a division
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. lash — an eyelash

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