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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 116 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. season — in sport
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. pop — to visit
  7. suit — in cards
  8. stem — to come from
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fork — in a road
  11. branch — a division
  12. ground — a position
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. file — a document
  17. ground — the earth
  18. suit — to fit
  19. season — of the year
  20. pop — soda
  21. suit — clothes
  22. file — a tool
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ground — crushed

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