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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. bank — for money
  4. toast — bread
  5. stock — goods
  6. bank — of a river
  7. field — a subject
  8. swing — to play on
  9. branch — a division
  10. key — the most important part
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. field — for sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. bank — for money
  17. stock — shares
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. swing — music
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. branch — of a bank

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