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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. craft — a skill
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. dip — to sink
  5. rule — a law
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. craft — boats
  8. branch — a division
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. band — a music group
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. chest — of your body
  18. foot — a measure
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rule — government
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. field — for sport
  23. band — a ring
  24. chest — a box

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