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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bank — for money
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. bear — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. degree — from a university
  7. branch — a division
  8. bank — for money
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bear — the animal
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. march — the month
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. march — the month
  15. field — a subject
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. march — music
  21. bank — of a river
  22. degree — temperature
  23. field — for sport
  24. degree — an amount

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