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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. toast — bread
  3. bound — tied together
  4. march — the month
  5. branch — a division
  6. spell — letters
  7. rule — government
  8. bound — certain
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. spell — magic
  14. wake — a trail
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. march — the month
  17. rule — a law
  18. bound — obliged
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. spring — of water
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. spring — the season
  24. march — music

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