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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. season — of the year
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. branch — a division
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. toast — bread
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. pop — music
  13. rock — music
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. degree — an amount
  16. degree — from a university
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. degree — temperature
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pop — soda
  22. roll — a list
  23. pop — to visit
  24. roll — a cake

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