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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. present — the time now
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. stock — goods
  8. spell — letters
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spell — magic
  14. present — a gift
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. scale — size or range
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. fork — in a road
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stock — shares
  21. scale — in music
  22. branch — a division
  23. pass — a permit
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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