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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. rule — government
  3. cold — not warm
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. mate — a friend
  8. can — a tin
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. spell — a short time
  11. can — to be able to
  12. branch — a division
  13. bass — the fish
  14. spell — magic
  15. bear — the animal
  16. can — a tin
  17. mate — to breed
  18. mate — a partner
  19. bass — low music
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. spell — letters
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — a law
  24. bear — to put up with

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