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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. season — of the year
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. rash — a series
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. spell — a short time
  7. season — in sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pop — soda
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pop — to visit
  12. spell — letters
  13. ground — crushed
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. ground — a position
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — the earth
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. pop — music
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. branch — a division
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. spell — magic

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