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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. band — a ring
  3. deal — to handle
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. branch — a division
  6. fine — high quality
  7. band — a music group
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rest — a break
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. season — in sport
  13. fine — all right
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. saw — the tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. saw — the tool
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. rest — what's left

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