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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. wake — a trail
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chip — for betting
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. field — farmland
  14. chip — to eat
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. chest — a box
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. chest — of your body
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. foot — a measure
  24. leaves — of a tree

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