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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. foot — a measure
  4. spring — the season
  5. content — happy
  6. branch — a division
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. content — the amount
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pass — a permit
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bear — to put up with

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