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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.

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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 usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. net — in sport
  3. mate — a partner
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. spell — magic
  6. lean — thin
  7. fork — in a road
  8. branch — a division
  9. spell — a short time
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. lean — to bend
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. mate — to breed
  15. spell — letters
  16. net — after costs
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. net — for catching
  24. bowl — to roll

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