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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. field — a subject
  6. stock — shares
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. pop — music
  10. dip — to sink
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. snap — to click
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stock — goods
  20. field — farmland
  21. pop — soda
  22. branch — a division
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. pop — to visit

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