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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. field — farmland
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. cell — a phone
  13. spell — magic
  14. field — a subject
  15. branch — a division
  16. spell — a short time
  17. cell — in biology
  18. field — for sport
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. spell — letters
  24. foot — a measure

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