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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. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bank — for money
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. field — a subject
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. plane — a tool
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. content — the amount
  12. game — a match
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. fork — in a road
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. bank — for money
  19. field — farmland
  20. bank — of a river
  21. game — wild animals
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — for sport
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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