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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. march — the month
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — a division
  9. march — the month
  10. rush — hurry
  11. march — music
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bear — the animal
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. pitch — completely

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