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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. spell — magic
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. present — a gift
  8. content — happy
  9. present — the time now
  10. spell — a short time
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. present — there
  13. spell — letters
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. branch — a division

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