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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 120 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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. bound — certain
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. file — a document
  9. bound — obliged
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mark — a grade
  13. squash — to crush
  14. bound — tied together
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. spell — letters
  18. wound — an injury
  19. file — a tool
  20. squash — the sport
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. file — a line of people
  23. wound — an injury
  24. spell — magic

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