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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — a division
  9. field — farmland
  10. season — of the year
  11. bark — to shout
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. content — happy
  14. field — for sport
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. season — in sport
  17. craft — boats
  18. stem — to come from
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. craft — a skill
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. content — the amount
  24. hide — to keep secret

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