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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rest — what's left
  3. toast — bread
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. rest — what's left
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. field — farmland
  10. saw — the tool
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. branch — a division
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. field — for sport
  15. perch — the fish
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. saw — the tool
  21. field — a subject
  22. rock — a stone
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rest — a break

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