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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. field — farmland
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. field — for sport
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. field — a subject
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. deal — to handle
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wax — to grow
  14. pop — to visit
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. branch — a division
  18. kick — in football
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. pop — soda
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pop — music
  24. kick — with a leg

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