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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 120 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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. court — of law
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. court — for sport
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. deal — to handle
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — a division
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. bore — to drill
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. tear — from crying
  18. season — in sport
  19. tear — to rip
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. bore — to tire
  22. court — of a king
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. tear — from crying

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