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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. spring — the season
  4. season — in sport
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. rash — hasty
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. saw — the tool
  13. branch — a division
  14. pitch — completely
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. rash — a series
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. spring — of water
  22. saw — the tool
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. perch — the fish

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