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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  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. branch — a division
  2. land — a country
  3. field — for sport
  4. prune — the fruit
  5. land — ground
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — to bear
  8. land — to come down
  9. staff — a stick
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. staff — employees
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. game — a match
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. field — a subject
  17. game — wild animals
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. staff — employees
  21. field — farmland
  22. bore — to tire
  23. bore — to drill
  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