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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · spell · hand · stick · mate · cap · roll · branch

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. mate — to breed
  3. branch — a division
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. cap — a lid
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. mate — a friend
  12. spell — magic
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. hand — help
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. spell — letters
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. spell — a short time
  20. cap — of ice
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. cap — a hat
  23. mate — a partner
  24. branch — of a tree

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