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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: drill · spell · mug · foot · jam · bat · branch · racket

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. branch — a division
  6. mug — a cup
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. mug — to rob
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. drill — army training
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bat — the animal
  19. foot — a measure
  20. drill — a practice
  21. mug — a face
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. spell — magic

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