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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. spell — letters
  3. bear — the animal
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bear — the animal
  6. pass — a permit
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. face — part of the head
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. file — a line of people
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. file — a document
  13. branch — a division
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. deal — to handle
  16. face — to confront
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. spell — a short time
  20. file — a tool
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. face — to point toward
  23. spell — magic
  24. mouse — the animal

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