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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. branch — a division
  6. field — farmland
  7. band — a ring
  8. field — for sport
  9. field — a subject
  10. bank — for money
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. band — a music group
  13. pound — a weight
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bank — for money
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. bank — of a river
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. bowl — a football final

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