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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. rock — music
  3. row — to paddle
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. row — a line
  6. stand — to bear
  7. can — a tin
  8. rock — a stone
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. scale — in music
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. branch — a division
  15. can — a tin
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. scale — size or range
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — hasty
  24. spell — a short time

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