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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  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. branch — a division
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. field — farmland
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. land — a country
  6. land — to come down
  7. rush — hurry
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. craft — a skill
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. kick — in football
  17. sharp — clever
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. field — for sport
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. craft — boats
  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