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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. chip — for betting
  4. land — ground
  5. can — a tin
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. foot — a measure
  9. spell — letters
  10. chip — to eat
  11. land — to come down
  12. last — final
  13. spell — a short time
  14. last — to go on
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. spell — magic
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. last — finally
  21. land — a country
  22. can — a tin
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. can — to be able to

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