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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bear — the animal
  3. track — a song
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. track — a path
  6. track — to keep track
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. season — in sport
  9. roll — a list
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. roll — a cake
  13. season — of the year
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bear — the animal
  19. saw — the tool
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. rash — a series
  22. rash — hasty
  23. saw — the tool
  24. patient — a sick person

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