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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. present — there
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. rush — hurry
  7. season — of the year
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. pound — a weight
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. wound — an injury
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. present — the time now
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. present — a gift
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. toast — bread

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