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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. spell — magic
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. net — in sport
  12. net — after costs
  13. wake — a trail
  14. bat — the animal
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. spell — letters
  19. branch — a division
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. spell — a short time
  24. bat — in an idiom

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