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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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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. current — happening now
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. rule — a law
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. spell — a short time
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. branch — a division
  11. degree — temperature
  12. degree — from a university
  13. degree — an amount
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. charge — in control
  16. squash — the sport
  17. current — electric
  18. spell — magic
  19. capital — money
  20. charge — electricity
  21. capital — a city
  22. charge — a price
  23. current — of water
  24. rule — government

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