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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 116 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. cell — in biology
  8. season — in sport
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. march — the month
  11. mine — for digging
  12. rash — a series
  13. branch — a division
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. rash — hasty
  19. cell — a phone
  20. march — the month
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. march — music
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. season — of the year

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