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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. prune — to trim
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spring — the season
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. spring — a coil
  8. season — in sport
  9. mate — to breed
  10. branch — a division
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. stand — to bear
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — of the year
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pass — a permit
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. spring — of water
  24. arm — part of the body

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