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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. root — the cause
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. branch — a division
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. last — to go on
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. last — finally
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. rush — hurry
  11. track — a song
  12. last — final
  13. date — the fruit
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. season — of the year
  17. root — of a word
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. root — of a plant
  20. track — to keep track
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. season — in sport
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. track — a path

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