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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  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. cell — a phone
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — a safe
  7. spell — letters
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. net — after costs
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. net — in sport
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. spell — a short time
  18. deal — to handle
  19. rash — hasty
  20. rash — a series
  21. branch — a division
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. net — for catching
  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