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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: present · stick · branch · mark · spell · ground · cue · kid

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. ground — a position
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. spell — magic
  5. spell — a short time
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a trace
  10. present — a gift
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. cue — a hint
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. spell — letters
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. ground — crushed
  17. present — the time now
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. ground — the earth
  20. kid — child
  21. present — there
  22. mark — a grade
  23. kid — to tease
  24. cue — for pool

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