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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. spell — magic
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. snap — to click
  5. cap — a lid
  6. hand — in cards
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. swing — music
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. hand — help
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. spell — a short time
  18. swing — to play on
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cap — a hat
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. spell — letters

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