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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. march — music
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. march — the month
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. march — the month
  9. season — of the year
  10. spring — of water
  11. season — in sport
  12. chip — to eat
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. present — the time now
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. present — there
  19. spring — a coil
  20. present — a gift
  21. scale — size or range
  22. chip — for betting
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. branch — a division

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