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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. season — in sport
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. root — of a plant
  6. bark — to shout
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. toast — bread
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. season — of the year
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. band — a ring
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. root — the cause
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. root — of a word
  24. band — a music group

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