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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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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. last — to go on
  3. can — a tin
  4. spell — a short time
  5. can — to be able to
  6. spell — magic
  7. last — final
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. can — a tin
  10. last — finally
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. branch — a division
  22. plane — a tool
  23. stem — to come from
  24. plane — in geometry

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