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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. spring — the season
  3. staff — a stick
  4. season — of the year
  5. staff — employees
  6. season — in sport
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. prune — to trim
  10. spring — a coil
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. spring — of water
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. craft — a skill
  17. branch — a division
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. staff — employees
  20. craft — boats
  21. ground — a position
  22. prune — to trim
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. prune — the fruit

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