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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. spell — a short time
  4. club — for golf
  5. drill — a practice
  6. club — for dancing
  7. board — to get on
  8. content — the amount
  9. root — the cause
  10. spell — magic
  11. club — a group
  12. root — of a word
  13. branch — a division
  14. board — a committee
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. drill — the tool
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. root — of a plant
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. drill — army training
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. content — happy

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