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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 124 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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rash — a series
  4. branch — a division
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. roll — a list
  8. rash — hasty
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. spell — magic
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wax — to grow
  13. wax — for sculpting
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. roll — a cake
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. spell — letters
  20. snap — to click
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. spell — a short time
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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