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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 cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. hand — help
  3. bore — to tire
  4. branch — a division
  5. hand — in cards
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. field — farmland
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. field — for sport
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bore — to drill
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. toast — bread
  21. cell — in biology
  22. cell — a phone
  23. field — a subject
  24. branch — of a tree

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