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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. spell — letters
  3. bear — the animal
  4. last — final
  5. mate — a friend
  6. mug — a face
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. mate — a partner
  9. last — finally
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. spell — a short time
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — to go on
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ball — a great time
  18. mug — to rob
  19. spell — magic
  20. bark — to shout
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. mug — a cup

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