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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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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: mug · wake · season · staff · mouse · branch · lie · stick

  1. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. mug — a cup
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mug — a face
  19. season — of the year
  20. wake — a trail
  21. staff — employees
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. lie — to recline
  24. staff — a stick

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