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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. field — a subject
  3. key — in music
  4. ground — a position
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. key — the most important part
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ground — crushed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. perch — the fish
  15. field — farmland
  16. branch — a division
  17. net — after costs
  18. field — for sport
  19. ground — the earth
  20. net — in sport
  21. key — for a lock
  22. game — a match
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. net — for catching

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