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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. branch — a division
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. chip — for betting
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. spell — a short time
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. deal — to handle
  9. spell — magic
  10. file — a line of people
  11. chip — to eat
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. rush — hurry
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. file — a document
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. spell — letters
  20. lean — thin
  21. file — a tool
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. perch — the fish
  24. perch — for a bird

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