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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 120 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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. field — farmland
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. file — a line of people
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. branch — a division
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spell — letters
  10. pit — in a race
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. file — a document
  13. stock — goods
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stock — shares
  16. field — a subject
  17. spell — magic
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. spell — a short time
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. file — a tool
  22. pit — a hole
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. field — for sport

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