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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. stand — to bear
  3. cell — in biology
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. field — farmland
  7. can — a tin
  8. branch — a division
  9. mark — a trace
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. field — a subject
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. can — to be able to
  14. field — for sport
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. can — a tin
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. cell — a phone
  24. nail — on a finger

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