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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. branch — a division
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. file — a line of people
  5. fall — the season
  6. scale — size or range
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bear — the animal
  11. file — a document
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. fall — to drop
  16. season — of the year
  17. wax — to grow
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. bear — the animal
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. staff — a stick
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. file — a tool
  24. scale — in 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