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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. net — for catching
  3. file — a line of people
  4. can — to be able to
  5. file — a tool
  6. can — a tin
  7. net — after costs
  8. scale — in music
  9. field — for sport
  10. lean — thin
  11. lean — to bend
  12. field — a subject
  13. pitch — completely
  14. can — a tin
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. file — a document
  18. scale — size or range
  19. net — in sport
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. field — farmland
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. lean — to rest against

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