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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — there
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. file — a document
  6. present — the time now
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. file — a line of people
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. branch — a division
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. field — farmland
  19. field — a subject
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. field — for sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. file — a tool
  24. racket — a loud noise

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