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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. spring — of water
  3. spring — a coil
  4. file — a tool
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cap — of ice
  9. object — an aim
  10. object — to protest
  11. branch — a division
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cap — a lid
  14. object — a thing
  15. spring — the season
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. file — a line of people
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. file — a document
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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