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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. spell — a short time
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cell — a phone
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. branch — a division
  10. club — for golf
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. clip — a video
  13. can — a tin
  14. clip — to cut
  15. last — final
  16. club — a group
  17. spell — magic
  18. club — for dancing
  19. clip — for paper
  20. last — finally
  21. last — to go on
  22. spell — letters
  23. can — a tin
  24. cell — in biology

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