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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. staff — a stick
  5. race — humankind
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. race — the arms race
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. scale — size or range
  10. swing — to play on
  11. season — in sport
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. date — the fruit
  14. swing — in golf
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. staff — employees
  17. scale — in music
  18. race — a contest
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bark — to shout
  22. swing — music
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. staff — employees

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