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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. prune — to trim
  4. sharp — clever
  5. stand — to bear
  6. dip — to sink
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. prune — to trim
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. plane — a tool
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. season — in sport
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. branch — a division
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. field — for sport
  24. stand — for spectators

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