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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. tear — to rip
  3. file — a document
  4. file — a tool
  5. field — a subject
  6. tear — from crying
  7. rest — what's left
  8. degree — from a university
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. rest — a break
  11. mug — a cup
  12. field — for sport
  13. file — a line of people
  14. mug — a face
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mug — to rob
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. field — farmland
  21. degree — an amount
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. degree — temperature
  24. calf — a young animal

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