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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bat — the animal
  3. saw — the tool
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. spell — a short time
  6. club — for dancing
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. spell — letters
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. club — for golf
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. club — a group
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. spell — magic
  23. pound — a weight
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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