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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. can — a tin
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. field — a subject
  6. stem — to come from
  7. row — to paddle
  8. field — for sport
  9. row — a line
  10. bank — of a river
  11. can — to be able to
  12. bore — to drill
  13. bank — for money
  14. can — a tin
  15. bank — for money
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. wound — an injury
  20. field — farmland
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bore — to tire

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