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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. last — to go on
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. rock — a stone
  6. bear — the animal
  7. bear — the animal
  8. branch — a division
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. last — final
  12. can — a tin
  13. spell — a short time
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. can — a tin
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. rock — music
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. stand — to bear
  24. last — finally

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