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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. branch — a division
  4. ground — crushed
  5. track — to keep track
  6. stand — to bear
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. rash — a series
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. ground — the earth
  13. ground — a position
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. file — a tool
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. track — a path
  18. file — a document
  19. track — a song
  20. cell — a phone
  21. rash — hasty
  22. file — a line of people
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bear — the animal

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