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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: object · wave · branch · sharp · land · bowl · tear · spell

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. object — an aim
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. object — a thing
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. spell — a short time
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. land — ground
  11. tear — from crying
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — magic
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. object — to protest
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. tear — to rip
  20. land — a country
  21. spell — letters
  22. branch — a division
  23. land — to come down
  24. bowl — a dish

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