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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  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. tear — to rip
  2. spell — letters
  3. staff — a stick
  4. branch — a division
  5. spell — magic
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. pop — music
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pop — to visit
  14. net — for catching
  15. tear — from crying
  16. net — in sport
  17. cell — in biology
  18. pop — soda
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. net — after costs
  23. tear — from crying
  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