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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. bore — to tire
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — a division
  7. field — farmland
  8. band — a music group
  9. season — in sport
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bore — to drill
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. band — a ring
  15. field — a subject
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. season — of the year
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. field — for sport
  21. bear — the animal
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. net — for catching

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