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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. field — for sport
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. field — a subject
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. field — farmland
  8. craft — boats
  9. rest — what's left
  10. rest — a break
  11. mine — for digging
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. craft — a skill
  22. bulb — for light
  23. branch — a division
  24. court — of a king

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