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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. field — for sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. season — in sport
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ball — a dance
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. branch — a division
  12. field — farmland
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. rash — a series
  15. field — a subject
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — a container
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. ball — a great time
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bulb — for light
  24. temple — a place of worship

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