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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. row — a line
  3. net — for catching
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. field — farmland
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. net — after costs
  18. net — in sport
  19. field — a subject
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. branch — a division
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — for sport
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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