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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. squash — the sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. spring — a coil
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — to shout
  7. spring — of water
  8. season — of the year
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. season — in sport
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. branch — a division
  17. toast — bread
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. prune — to trim
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. prune — to trim
  22. spring — the season
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. squash — to crush

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