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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. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. rush — hurry
  5. branch — a division
  6. suit — to fit
  7. bulb — for light
  8. suit — in cards
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. key — the most important part
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bulb — for light
  16. march — the month
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. field — for sport
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. march — the month
  23. march — music
  24. suit — clothes

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