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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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. field — for sport
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. saw — the tool
  6. rest — a break
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. root — of a plant
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. saw — the tool
  14. rest — what's left
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. root — of a word
  23. root — the cause
  24. rest — what's left

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