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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. branch — a division
  3. cap — of ice
  4. last — to go on
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — a subject
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bass — the fish
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bass — low music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. last — final
  18. field — farmland
  19. foot — a measure
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. last — finally
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. rash — hasty

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