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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. spell — letters
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. board — to get on
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. degree — from a university
  10. spell — a short time
  11. branch — a division
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rash — hasty
  15. spell — magic
  16. degree — temperature
  17. board — a committee
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. wax — to grow
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. board — a flat piece

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