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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 116 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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cap — of ice
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cap — a hat
  13. branch — a division
  14. field — farmland
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wake — a trail
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. field — a subject
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rash — a series
  24. cap — a lid

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