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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. mate — to breed
  5. pit — in a race
  6. field — a subject
  7. pit — a hole
  8. field — for sport
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. branch — a division
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mate — a partner
  14. stock — goods
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. mate — a friend
  17. field — farmland
  18. band — a ring
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. fine — all right
  22. stock — shares
  23. fine — high quality
  24. band — a rubber band

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