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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. swing — music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. branch — a division
  6. bass — the fish
  7. field — for sport
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. field — a subject
  11. fork — in a road
  12. field — farmland
  13. bass — low music
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. bore — to tire
  16. swing — in golf
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bore — to drill
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. swing — to play on
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. lean — thin

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