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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. season — of the year
  3. file — a document
  4. march — music
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. track — a path
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — music
  10. march — the month
  11. file — a tool
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. swing — in golf
  14. file — a line of people
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. season — in sport
  20. branch — a division
  21. march — the month
  22. track — to keep track
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. lean — to rest against

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