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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. spell — a short time
  3. suit — clothes
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. spell — magic
  8. rash — a series
  9. spell — letters
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. kid — to tease
  14. kid — child
  15. suit — to fit
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. rash — hasty
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — a box
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. suit — in cards
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — a division

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