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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. spell — magic
  4. bank — of a river
  5. spell — letters
  6. last — to go on
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. last — finally
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bank — for money
  13. ball — a great time
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. bank — for money
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. branch — a division
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. last — final

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