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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. current — of water
  3. field — farmland
  4. squash — the sport
  5. capital — a city
  6. mate — to breed
  7. bank — of a river
  8. branch — a division
  9. squash — to crush
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bank — for money
  12. capital — money
  13. drill — a practice
  14. mate — a friend
  15. field — a subject
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. current — electric
  19. mate — a partner
  20. field — for sport
  21. current — happening now
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bank — for money
  24. drill — the tool

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