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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. field — for sport
  4. branch — a division
  5. spell — a short time
  6. squash — to crush
  7. craft — a skill
  8. shower — to wash
  9. cap — a hat
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. spell — letters
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. craft — boats
  15. field — a subject
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cap — of ice
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. cap — a lid
  23. spell — magic
  24. field — farmland

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