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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. rash — a series
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cell — in biology
  6. wake — a trail
  7. saw — the tool
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. cell — a phone
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. branch — a division

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