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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. field — farmland
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. field — for sport
  6. cell — a phone
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — to recline
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. branch — of a bank

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