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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. hand — help
  3. branch — a division
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pass — a permit
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. suit — to fit
  17. field — farmland
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. wake — a trail
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. suit — clothes

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