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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. field — for sport
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. field — a subject
  6. scale — size or range
  7. prune — to trim
  8. scale — in music
  9. field — farmland
  10. prune — to trim
  11. degree — from a university
  12. deal — to handle
  13. degree — an amount
  14. degree — temperature
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bank — for money
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. branch — a division
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. branch — of a tree

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