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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 116 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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. pop — to visit
  3. field — for sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. field — farmland
  10. pop — soda
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. branch — a division
  16. pop — music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tube — the underground
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tube — a container
  22. field — a subject
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. snap — to click

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