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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. club — a group
  3. field — for sport
  4. pound — a weight
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. vault — a safe
  12. spring — of water
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. club — for golf
  15. field — a subject
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. spring — the season
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. branch — of a tree
  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