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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 116 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: mouse · bat · fine · cold · mine · branch · ball · pound

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ball — a dance
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pound — a weight
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fine — all right
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. mine — for digging
  13. branch — a division
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. cold — an illness
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. fine — high quality
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. pound — to hit hard

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