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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 120 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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. field — a subject
  3. field — farmland
  4. cap — of ice
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. field — for sport
  8. cap — a hat
  9. spell — letters
  10. present — a gift
  11. foot — a measure
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cap — a lid
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. present — there
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. spell — magic
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. spell — a short time
  24. present — the time now

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