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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. track — a song
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. press — a publisher
  9. track — a path
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. kid — child
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. land — a country
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. season — in sport
  16. press — to push
  17. land — to come down
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. land — ground
  20. track — to keep track
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. kid — to tease
  23. branch — a division
  24. press — newspapers

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