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

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. key — the most important part
  6. spell — letters
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. current — of water
  13. clip — for paper
  14. key — for a lock
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. spell — magic
  17. clip — to cut
  18. key — in music
  19. chair — a leader
  20. clip — a video
  21. spell — a short time
  22. current — happening now
  23. current — electric
  24. cabinet — ministers

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