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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. can — a tin
  3. last — finally
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. branch — a division
  6. can — a tin
  7. stem — to come from
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. spell — letters
  11. object — to protest
  12. bass — the fish
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. last — to go on
  15. object — an aim
  16. bass — low music
  17. can — to be able to
  18. spell — magic
  19. object — a thing
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. spell — a short time
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. sharp — clever

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