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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — a division
  4. rash — hasty
  5. rash — a series
  6. cap — a lid
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cap — a hat
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stand — to bear
  11. wake — a trail
  12. field — a subject
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. field — for sport
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. field — farmland
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mine — an explosive

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