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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. bank — for money
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. cold — not warm
  11. face — to confront
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bank — for money
  14. field — a subject
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. track — a song
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. face — part of the head
  23. sharp — clever
  24. bank — of a river

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