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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. 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 — farmland
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. field — a subject
  4. branch — a division
  5. tear — from crying
  6. club — for dancing
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. club — a group
  9. field — for sport
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. club — for golf
  13. snap — to click
  14. tear — from crying
  15. tear — to rip
  16. wake — a trail
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pit — a hole
  24. 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