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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fine · season · ground · branch · foot · date · mine · bear

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. ground — crushed
  4. date — the fruit
  5. bear — the animal
  6. season — of the year
  7. season — in sport
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. mine — for digging
  10. branch — a division
  11. ground — a position
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. fine — high quality
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fine — all right
  24. bear — the animal

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