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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 120 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. wound — an injury
  6. branch — a division
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ball — a great time
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. field — farmland
  18. foot — a measure

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