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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. face — part of the head
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. fine — all right
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. squash — to crush
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. sharp — clever
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. current — of water
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. spell — magic
  16. fine — high quality
  17. branch — a division
  18. squash — the sport
  19. current — electric
  20. current — happening now
  21. spell — letters
  22. face — to confront
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. face — to point toward

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