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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 120 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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. branch — a division
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. net — for catching
  8. field — a subject
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. net — in sport
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bear — the animal
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. bear — the animal
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. tube — the underground
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. net — after costs

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