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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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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: chip · mine · content · season · bay · branch · mug · spell

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. spell — letters
  4. season — of the year
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. mug — to rob
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. chip — for betting
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. spell — a short time
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. branch — a division
  17. mug — a cup
  18. season — in sport
  19. spell — magic
  20. mine — for digging
  21. content — happy
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. content — the amount
  24. chip — to eat

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