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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. scale — in music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. season — in sport
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. foot — a measure
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. object — an aim
  15. deal — to handle
  16. object — to protest
  17. object — a thing
  18. scale — size or range
  19. branch — a division
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pitch — completely

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