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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. sharp — clever
  3. field — farmland
  4. key — in music
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. field — a subject
  7. pop — to visit
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. key — for a lock
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. field — for sport
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. swing — in golf
  15. fork — in a road
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. pop — music
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. swing — to play on
  20. swing — music
  21. branch — a division
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pop — soda
  24. key — the most important part

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