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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 116 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 took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. staff — employees
  3. branch — a division
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. plane — a tool
  7. field — for sport
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. net — in sport
  10. cue — a signal
  11. staff — employees
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cue — for pool
  14. staff — a stick
  15. net — after costs
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. field — farmland
  19. wake — a trail
  20. cue — a hint
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. field — a subject
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mine — an explosive

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