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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wake — a trail
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. spell — letters
  8. deal — to handle
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. bark — to shout
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. kid — child
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. saw — the tool

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