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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. spell — letters
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. spell — magic
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. season — of the year
  19. wind — moving air
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bulb — for light
  23. season — in sport
  24. spell — a short time

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