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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mate — a friend
  3. can — a tin
  4. fork — in a road
  5. season — in sport
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mate — to breed
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. can — a tin
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stand — to bear
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. can — to be able to
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. season — of the year
  24. branch — a division

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