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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. pound — a weight
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. spell — letters
  7. cap — of ice
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. spell — magic
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. cap — a hat
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — a division
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. plane — a tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. cap — a lid

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