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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 120 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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. bank — for money
  3. bank — of a river
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. field — farmland
  8. branch — a division
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitch — completely
  23. can — to be able to
  24. can — a tin

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