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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. land — a country
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. land — ground
  6. season — of the year
  7. object — to protest
  8. object — a thing
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. field — farmland
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. field — a subject
  15. branch — a division
  16. kid — to tease
  17. deal — to handle
  18. kid — child
  19. field — for sport
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. object — an aim
  22. fork — in a road
  23. season — in sport
  24. land — to come down

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