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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. scale — size or range
  3. spell — letters
  4. scale — in music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mug — a cup
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. row — to paddle
  11. mug — to rob
  12. row — a line
  13. spell — a short time
  14. capital — money
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bore — to tire
  17. rash — a series
  18. mug — a face
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. capital — a city
  21. spell — magic
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. bore — to drill

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