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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. squash — to crush
  3. spell — magic
  4. tear — from crying
  5. charge — electricity
  6. spell — a short time
  7. tear — to rip
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. march — music
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. branch — a division
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. spell — letters
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — the sport
  19. march — the month
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. charge — in control
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. charge — a price
  24. tear — from crying

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