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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. craft — boats
  3. net — for catching
  4. spell — magic
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. net — after costs
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. branch — a division
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. net — in sport
  12. mug — a face
  13. cap — a hat
  14. cap — a lid
  15. spell — letters
  16. spell — a short time
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. craft — a skill
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cap — of ice
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. bat — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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