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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. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. saw — the tool
  3. spell — a short time
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spell — magic
  6. branch — a division
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. pop — music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. sharp — clever
  13. root — the cause
  14. spell — letters
  15. root — of a word
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. chest — a box
  18. pop — soda
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. root — of a plant
  22. pop — to visit
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. saw — the tool

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