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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 ________________ the meat?
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bear — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. stock — goods
  5. prune — to trim
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. bulb — for light
  8. lean — thin
  9. season — of the year
  10. spell — a short time
  11. lean — to bend
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. spell — letters
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — a division
  17. prune — to trim
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. spell — magic
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stock — shares

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