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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. spell — a short time
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. row — to paddle
  7. sharp — clever
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. spell — letters
  14. row — a line
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. stock — shares
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. stock — goods
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. dip — to sink
  23. ground — the earth
  24. 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