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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mine — for digging
  4. press — newspapers
  5. spell — letters
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. wave — a sudden rise
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. wake — a trail
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. press — to push
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. press — a publisher
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. spell — a short time

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