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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. land — a country
  3. land — to come down
  4. kick — in football
  5. last — finally
  6. key — in music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. land — ground
  9. key — for a lock
  10. field — for sport
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. field — a subject
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. branch — a division
  15. field — farmland
  16. last — final
  17. band — a music group
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. band — a ring
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. last — to go on
  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