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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. spring — the season
  6. present — a gift
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. club — a group
  12. tear — from crying
  13. spring — a coil
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. club — for golf
  17. deal — to handle
  18. branch — a division
  19. pitch — completely
  20. tear — to rip
  21. present — there
  22. tear — from crying
  23. spring — of water
  24. coach — a trainer

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