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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. wax — to grow
  5. saw — the tool
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. present — a gift
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. game — a match
  10. present — the time now
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. present — there
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. game — wild animals
  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