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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. spell — magic
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. spell — a short time
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pass — a permit
  9. content — happy
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. can — to be able to
  13. band — a ring
  14. content — the amount
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. spell — letters
  17. staff — a stick
  18. staff — employees
  19. band — a music group
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. staff — employees
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. wake — a trail
  24. can — a tin

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