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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. deal — to handle
  5. track — a path
  6. rule — a law
  7. wake — a trail
  8. spell — letters
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. spring — the season
  11. current — happening now
  12. spring — of water
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. current — electric
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rule — government
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spell — a short time
  20. current — of water
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spell — magic
  23. track — a song
  24. deal — a big deal

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