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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cue — a hint
  4. bass — the fish
  5. kid — child
  6. branch — a division
  7. plane — a tool
  8. field — a subject
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bass — low music
  13. spell — magic
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. cue — for pool
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. field — farmland
  18. spell — letters
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. spell — a short time
  24. coach — a trainer

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