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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 116 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 sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. wind — to turn a key
  2. branch — a division
  3. can — to be able to
  4. can — a tin
  5. snap — to click
  6. spell — magic
  7. spell — letters
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. craft — boats
  12. can — a tin
  13. rash — hasty
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stock — goods
  18. spell — a short time
  19. rash — a series
  20. wind — moving air
  21. craft — a skill
  22. stock — shares
  23. branch — of a tree
  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