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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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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: cell · cue · kick · mouse · bear · branch · stick · saw

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cue — a hint
  3. kick — in football
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in biology
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cue — a signal
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cue — for pool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. saw — the tool

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