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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. face — to point toward
  7. face — part of the head
  8. field — farmland
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. mug — to rob
  11. squash — to crush
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. field — for sport
  16. face — to confront
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mug — a cup
  19. field — a subject
  20. mug — a face
  21. sharp — clever
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. land — a country
  24. bank — of a river

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