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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. field — a subject
  3. land — to come down
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bark — to shout
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. mug — a face
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mug — to rob
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. land — a country
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. land — ground
  24. row — a line

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