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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. chip — to eat
  3. fine — all right
  4. chip — for betting
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. branch — a division
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. tube — the underground
  9. press — newspapers
  10. mine — for digging
  11. press — to push
  12. fine — high quality
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bark — to shout
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. press — a publisher
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spell — letters
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. tube — a container
  23. spell — a short time
  24. tube — in a tire

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