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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. roll — a cake
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. present — the time now
  5. band — a ring
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. band — a music group
  10. spell — letters
  11. branch — a division
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. roll — a list
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. court — of law
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. present — there
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. present — a gift
  21. court — for sport
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. spell — magic
  24. branch — of a bank

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