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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. spell — a short time
  4. spell — letters
  5. branch — a division
  6. cap — of ice
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. present — there
  10. current — happening now
  11. present — the time now
  12. staff — employees
  13. cap — a hat
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. cap — a lid
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. spell — magic
  23. staff — employees
  24. present — a gift

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