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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. rule — government
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wake — a trail
  10. capital — money
  11. spell — letters
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. rule — a law
  20. branch — a division
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. capital — a city
  23. spell — magic
  24. fan — a supporter

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