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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. spell — magic
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wound — an injury
  8. lean — to bend
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. branch — a division
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. bass — low music
  13. lean — thin
  14. capital — money
  15. spell — a short time
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — an injury
  18. tube — the underground
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. capital — a city
  21. bass — the fish
  22. wake — a trail
  23. spell — letters
  24. capital — a big letter

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