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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bank — of a river
  3. spell — letters
  4. root — the cause
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. root — of a word
  7. bank — for money
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. spell — a short time
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. present — the time now
  12. bank — for money
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bark — to shout
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. present — a gift
  17. spell — magic
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. branch — a division
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. present — there
  22. root — of a plant
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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