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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. branch — a division
  3. date — the fruit
  4. spell — a short time
  5. cold — not warm
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. wind — moving air
  12. spell — magic
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. spell — letters
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. cold — an illness
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. mate — a friend

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