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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. season — of the year
  4. present — the time now
  5. rash — a series
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. root — of a plant
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. present — a gift
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. bound — certain
  13. bound — obliged
  14. root — the cause
  15. bound — tied together
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pass — a permit
  19. root — of a word
  20. present — there
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rash — hasty
  24. season — in sport

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