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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. pop — soda
  3. can — a tin
  4. cue — a hint
  5. wake — a trail
  6. field — farmland
  7. cue — a signal
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. field — for sport
  10. field — a subject
  11. mate — a friend
  12. can — to be able to
  13. can — a tin
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pop — music
  16. branch — a division
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. tear — from crying
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mate — to breed
  23. cue — for pool
  24. tear — from crying

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