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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. spell — letters
  3. bulb — for light
  4. can — a tin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. bulb — for light
  7. can — a tin
  8. fall — the season
  9. mug — a face
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. fall — to drop
  13. craft — boats
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. craft — a skill
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. mug — a cup
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. branch — a division
  22. spell — magic
  23. cold — not warm
  24. branch — of a bank

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