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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. stock — goods
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. mark — a grade
  9. perch — the fish
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. field — farmland
  13. prune — to trim
  14. dip — to sink
  15. branch — a division
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — a subject
  19. prune — to trim
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. field — for sport
  22. stock — shares
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. perch — for a bird

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