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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. bear — the animal
  5. perch — the fish
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. mate — a friend
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. field — for sport
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. field — a subject
  18. deal — to handle
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. mate — a partner
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bat — the animal
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. mate — to breed

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