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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. spell — magic
  3. cell — a phone
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. file — a tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a line of people
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. rash — a series
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. spell — a short time
  19. pass — a permit
  20. rash — hasty
  21. can — to be able to
  22. cell — in biology
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pass — to spend 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