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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. track — to keep track
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. degree — from a university
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. track — a path
  10. degree — temperature
  11. degree — an amount
  12. field — for sport
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bore — to tire
  15. staff — employees
  16. bore — to drill
  17. branch — a division
  18. mine — for digging
  19. staff — employees
  20. field — farmland
  21. field — a subject
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. staff — a stick
  24. track — a song

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