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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. last — finally
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. field — for sport
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. face — to point toward
  8. branch — a division
  9. key — in music
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. key — for a lock
  12. face — to confront
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. roll — a list
  15. track — a path
  16. track — a song
  17. field — farmland
  18. key — the most important part
  19. field — a subject
  20. last — final
  21. track — to keep track
  22. face — part of the head
  23. roll — a cake
  24. last — to go 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