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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. rest — what's left
  4. branch — a division
  5. field — a subject
  6. field — for sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. tear — from crying
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. season — in sport
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. bound — tied together
  15. field — farmland
  16. bound — certain
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. dip — to sink
  20. bound — obliged
  21. tear — from crying
  22. rest — a break
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. tear — to rip

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