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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ball — a great time
  3. branch — a division
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bore — to tire
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. staff — a stick
  10. bore — to drill
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. field — for sport
  13. staff — employees
  14. field — farmland
  15. ball — a dance
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. board — to get on
  18. board — a committee
  19. rush — hurry
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. staff — employees

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