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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. branch — a division
  4. fall — to drop
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. scale — in music
  7. capital — a city
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. board — a committee
  10. season — of the year
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bear — the animal
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. capital — money
  16. prune — to trim
  17. bear — the animal
  18. season — in sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. board — to get on
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — size or range
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. scale — for weighing

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