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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. file — a tool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ball — a great time
  6. can — to be able to
  7. content — happy
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. can — a tin
  10. file — a document
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. craft — boats
  13. squash — the sport
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. can — a tin
  16. branch — a division
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spell — magic
  19. content — the amount
  20. spell — letters
  21. file — a line of people
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. squash — to crush
  24. craft — a handicraft

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