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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. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. branch — a division
  4. stand — to bear
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. spell — letters
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitch — completely
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. race — a contest
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. can — a tin
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. race — humankind
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. can — to be able to
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. hand — in cards
  22. race — the arms race
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. spell — a short time

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