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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. land — to come down
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. firm — a company
  7. degree — an amount
  8. land — a country
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. scale — in music
  12. firm — steady
  13. land — ground
  14. field — for sport
  15. scale — size or range
  16. branch — a division
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. field — farmland
  19. degree — from a university
  20. field — a subject
  21. degree — temperature
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. march — the month
  24. firm — decided

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