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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. file — a document
  3. bear — the animal
  4. file — a line of people
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. track — to keep track
  7. court — for sport
  8. branch — a division
  9. bear — the animal
  10. field — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. face — to point toward
  14. file — a tool
  15. court — of law
  16. face — to confront
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. perch — the fish
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. field — a subject
  21. track — a path
  22. field — farmland
  23. face — part of the head
  24. track — a song

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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