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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. bass — low music
  3. mug — a face
  4. file — a document
  5. file — a tool
  6. mug — a cup
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. track — a song
  12. bass — the fish
  13. track — a path
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a line of people
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the sport
  19. branch — a division
  20. track — to keep track
  21. season — of the year
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. mug — to rob
  24. season — in sport

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