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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 116 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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cap — a hat
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — farmland
  6. net — after costs
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. band — a ring
  9. cell — in biology
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. cap — of ice
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. wax — to grow
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. net — for catching
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. cap — a lid
  18. cell — a phone
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. field — a subject
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. band — a music group
  23. rush — hurry
  24. branch — a division

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