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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. spell — letters
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. club — a group
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — crushed
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bank — for money
  16. clip — for paper
  17. spell — a short time
  18. clip — a video
  19. club — for golf
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ground — the earth
  22. clip — to cut
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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