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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — for sport
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bank — for money
  7. bass — low music
  8. field — a subject
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — a trail
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. key — for a lock
  14. bass — the fish
  15. key — the most important part
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. bank — for money
  18. key — in music
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. bank — of a river
  24. branch — a division

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