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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. drill — army training
  4. shower — to wash
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. drill — the tool
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. spell — letters
  10. branch — a division
  11. squash — the sport
  12. present — a gift
  13. squash — to crush
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. present — there
  18. plane — a tool
  19. shower — rain
  20. present — the time now
  21. spell — a short time
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. drill — a practice
  24. spell — magic

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