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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: land · ball · stick · branch · bear · mouse · wound · fall

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. ball — a dance
  9. fall — the season
  10. land — a country
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bear — the animal
  16. ball — a great time
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. fall — to drop
  21. land — to come down
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — ground
  24. ball — a round shape

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