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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  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. mug — a cup
  2. branch — a division
  3. swing — to play on
  4. tear — to rip
  5. march — the month
  6. mug — to rob
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — for sport
  9. scale — size or range
  10. march — music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. scale — in music
  13. march — the month
  14. tear — from crying
  15. swing — in golf
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. mug — a face
  18. field — a subject
  19. swing — music
  20. suit — clothes
  21. tear — from crying
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — in cards
  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