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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. spell — letters
  5. squash — the sport
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. object — a thing
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. game — a match
  12. last — final
  13. spell — a short time
  14. game — wild animals
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. spell — magic
  17. kick — in football
  18. object — an aim
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. squash — to crush
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. last — finally
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. last — to go on

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