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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. season — in sport
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. march — the month
  12. branch — a division
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. march — the month
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. season — of the year
  23. march — music
  24. branch — of a bank

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