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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. ground — a position
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. ground — crushed
  6. spell — a short time
  7. prune — to trim
  8. branch — a division
  9. prune — to trim
  10. ground — the earth
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. field — a subject
  13. deal — to handle
  14. rest — a break
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. rest — what's left
  18. fine — all right
  19. spell — letters
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. spell — magic
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. fine — high quality

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