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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 124 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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Word bank
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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. game — a match
  4. spell — a short time
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. tube — a container
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. tube — the underground
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. game — wild animals
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. wound — an injury
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. spell — magic
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. branch — a division
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. fork — a garden tool

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