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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — to lash out
  2. branch — a division
  3. march — the month
  4. bank — for money
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. land — a country
  7. field — a subject
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. land — to come down
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bank — of a river
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. land — ground
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. ground — crushed
  17. field — for sport
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. march — music
  20. field — farmland
  21. march — the month
  22. bank — for money
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — a position

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