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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 asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. file — a tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. branch — a division
  12. spell — a short time
  13. spell — letters
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. fork — in a road
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. ground — a position

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