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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. branch — a division
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. field — for sport
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. can — to be able to
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. field — a subject
  16. bore — to tire
  17. can — a tin
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bore — to drill
  20. content — happy
  21. can — a tin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cabinet — ministers

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