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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. march — music
  3. field — farmland
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. perch — the fish
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. cap — a lid
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. march — the month
  14. field — a subject
  15. field — for sport
  16. wake — a trail
  17. march — the month
  18. pit — in a race
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mine — for digging
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. cap — a hat
  24. wake — before a funeral

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