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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 124 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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. fall — the season
  4. rash — a series
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. swing — music
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. fall — to drop
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. field — a subject
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. swing — in golf
  16. field — for sport
  17. rash — hasty
  18. sharp — clever
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. branch — a division
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fall — to drop
  24. swing — to play on

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