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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. branch — a division
  3. ground — crushed
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. sharp — clever
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. ground — a position
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. season — of the year
  16. dip — to sink
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. ground — the earth
  22. row — to paddle
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. row — a quarrel

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