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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. mug — to rob
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. lean — thin
  6. mug — a cup
  7. stock — goods
  8. lean — to bend
  9. stock — shares
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. dip — to sink
  14. spell — magic
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. spell — a short time
  23. mug — a face
  24. season — of the year

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