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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. present — a gift
  4. squash — the sport
  5. current — happening now
  6. current — of water
  7. stock — goods
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. pitch — completely
  10. stock — shares
  11. present — there
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. present — the time now
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. wax — to grow
  18. squash — to crush
  19. current — electric
  20. branch — a division
  21. spell — magic
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. branch — of a bank

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