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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 120 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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wound — an injury
  4. land — ground
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. root — of a plant
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. wax — to grow
  10. field — a subject
  11. wound — an injury
  12. branch — a division
  13. field — farmland
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. vault — a safe
  20. root — the cause
  21. field — for sport
  22. root — of a word
  23. land — a country
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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