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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. branch — a division
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cell — in biology
  5. can — to be able to
  6. spell — letters
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. rash — a series
  10. cell — a phone
  11. capital — a city
  12. staff — employees
  13. can — a tin
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rash — hasty
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. staff — a stick
  20. can — a tin
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. capital — money
  23. staff — employees
  24. jam — a tight spot

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