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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. staff — employees
  3. field — for sport
  4. bank — of a river
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. bank — for money
  10. suit — to fit
  11. staff — employees
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. staff — a stick
  14. suit — clothes
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. bank — for money
  17. suit — in cards
  18. branch — a division
  19. content — happy
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. content — the amount
  22. field — farmland
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. lash — to lash out

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