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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 black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. key — in music
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. key — the most important part
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. row — a line
  10. toast — bread
  11. foot — a measure
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. row — to paddle
  15. key — for a lock
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. shower — rain
  18. shower — to wash
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — in sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. row — a quarrel

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