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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. last — to go on
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. last — finally
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. firm — steady
  10. firm — decided
  11. firm — a company
  12. last — final
  13. field — a subject
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cold — not warm
  16. present — a gift
  17. cold — an illness
  18. present — the time now
  19. field — for sport
  20. field — farmland
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. present — there
  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