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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  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. wind — moving air
  2. branch — a division
  3. saw — the tool
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. spell — letters
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. fork — in a road
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. face — to confront
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wind — moving air
  18. spell — a short time
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. face — part of the head
  23. rush — hurry
  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