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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. firm — a company
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bear — the animal
  5. clip — for paper
  6. bass — low music
  7. clip — to cut
  8. field — for sport
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. field — a subject
  14. branch — a division
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. firm — decided
  18. clip — a video
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. firm — steady
  21. field — farmland
  22. bear — the animal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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