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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. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. capital — money
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bulb — for light
  4. bulb — for light
  5. swing — to play on
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. spell — magic
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. swing — music
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. swing — in golf
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — to eat
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. spell — letters
  21. chip — for betting
  22. capital — a city
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. branch — of a tree

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