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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. field — farmland
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. key — for a lock
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. can — a tin
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. stem — to come from
  11. vault — a safe
  12. key — in music
  13. field — for sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. saw — the tool
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. cap — of ice
  19. field — a subject
  20. key — the most important part
  21. cap — a hat
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. can — a tin

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