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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rash — hasty
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. spell — magic
  6. rash — a series
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. fall — to drop
  11. track — a path
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. lean — thin
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. fall — to drop
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. track — a song
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. lean — to bend
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. sharp — clever

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