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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. fine — all right
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. branch — a division
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. wind — moving air
  11. capital — money
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rush — hurry
  14. squash — to crush
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wind — moving air
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fine — high quality
  23. capital — a city
  24. bear — to put up with

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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