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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. field — for sport
  4. band — a ring
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. field — a subject
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. squash — to crush
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. drill — a practice
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. drill — the tool
  15. field — farmland
  16. drill — army training
  17. content — happy
  18. band — a music group
  19. branch — a division
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. craft — a skill
  23. squash — the sport
  24. craft — boats

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