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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 116 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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. net — after costs
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. pound — a weight
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. present — a gift
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. row — a line
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — for catching
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. season — of the year
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. season — in sport
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. row — to paddle
  21. present — there
  22. branch — a division
  23. present — the time now
  24. hide — animal skin

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