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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. toast — bread
  3. present — there
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — a division
  6. field — a subject
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. march — music
  9. field — for sport
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. march — the month
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. march — the month
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. band — a music group
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. field — farmland
  19. present — the time now
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. band — a ring
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. stock — goods

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