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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 120 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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I can't ________________ this cold.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mine — for digging
  5. saw — the tool
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. spell — letters
  8. present — the time now
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. saw — the tool
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. branch — a division
  15. present — there
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. shower — rain
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. stand — to bear
  21. present — a gift
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. shower — to wash
  24. foot — a measure

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