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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  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. jam — to spread on bread
  2. row — a line
  3. can — a tin
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. row — to paddle
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. spell — magic
  11. ground — the earth
  12. can — a tin
  13. spell — letters
  14. branch — a division
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. can — to be able to
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. ground — crushed
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. ground — a position
  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