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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — to bear
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. field — a subject
  6. staff — employees
  7. branch — a division
  8. row — a line
  9. land — ground
  10. field — farmland
  11. staff — a stick
  12. land — to come down
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. land — a country
  15. staff — employees
  16. row — to paddle
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. field — for sport
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. ruler — for measuring

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