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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 120 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: spell · wound · branch · staff · cue · sharp · file · deal

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. spell — magic
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. spell — letters
  7. branch — a division
  8. cue — a hint
  9. wound — an injury
  10. staff — a stick
  11. file — a line of people
  12. file — a document
  13. spell — a short time
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cue — a signal
  16. file — a tool
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. staff — employees
  19. staff — employees
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. sharp — clever

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