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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. field — for sport
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. perch — the fish
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. plane — a tool
  9. rash — hasty
  10. suit — to fit
  11. field — farmland
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. row — a line
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. branch — a division
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. row — to paddle
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. field — a subject
  24. branch — of a bank

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