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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. bulb — for light
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ground — a position
  6. field — a subject
  7. key — in music
  8. can — to be able to
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. can — a tin
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bark — to shout
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. key — for a lock
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. field — for sport
  19. field — farmland
  20. bulb — for light
  21. key — the most important part
  22. ground — crushed
  23. branch — a division
  24. ground — the earth

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