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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ground · pop · stick · spell · branch · rash

  1. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. spell — letters
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. pop — to visit
  7. spell — a short time
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. ground — crushed
  11. rash — a series
  12. ground — the earth
  13. pop — soda
  14. ground — a position
  15. rash — hasty
  16. spell — magic
  17. branch — a division
  18. stick — a piece of wood

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