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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 116 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. bark — to shout
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. band — a ring
  5. branch — a division
  6. degree — from a university
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pop — to visit
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pop — music
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. degree — an amount
  15. track — to keep track
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. degree — temperature
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. pop — soda

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