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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. squash — to crush
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. toast — bread
  10. field — a subject
  11. season — of the year
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. squash — the sport
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. bear — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. field — for sport
  19. bear — the animal
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. season — in sport
  24. branch — a division

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