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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. branch — a division
  4. net — after costs
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. mug — a cup
  11. net — in sport
  12. spell — a short time
  13. season — in sport
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mug — to rob
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. net — for catching
  19. mug — a face
  20. pit — a hole
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. row — a line
  23. object — a thing
  24. season — of the year

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