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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. season — of the year
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. mine — for digging
  5. march — the month
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. stem — to come from
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — a division
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. march — the month
  22. season — in sport
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. march — music

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