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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. present — a gift
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. bore — to tire
  6. row — a line
  7. season — in sport
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. fine — high quality
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bore — to drill
  12. present — the time now
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. row — to paddle
  15. season — of the year
  16. rest — a break
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. present — there
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. fine — all right
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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