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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. field — for sport
  3. ground — a position
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. field — a subject
  6. staff — employees
  7. ground — crushed
  8. field — farmland
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. shower — rain
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. shower — to wash
  18. bark — to shout
  19. race — the arms race
  20. ground — the earth
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. staff — a stick
  24. staff — employees

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