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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. row — to paddle
  3. field — for sport
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. row — a line
  6. field — farmland
  7. key — the most important part
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. branch — a division
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — in music
  12. charge — in control
  13. key — for a lock
  14. scale — size or range
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. tear — from crying
  17. charge — electricity
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. tear — to rip
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. key — in music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. charge — a price
  24. tear — from crying

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