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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. rest — what's left
  4. spell — letters
  5. rest — a break
  6. squash — to crush
  7. stand — to bear
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. squash — the sport
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spell — a short time
  15. scale — in music
  16. scale — size or range
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spell — magic
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. branch — a division
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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