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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. lean — to bend
  4. net — for catching
  5. cap — of ice
  6. season — in sport
  7. game — a match
  8. key — for a lock
  9. season — of the year
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. key — in music
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. branch — a division
  16. game — wild animals
  17. cap — a lid
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. net — in sport
  20. cap — a hat
  21. key — the most important part
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lean — thin
  24. net — after costs

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