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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. field — farmland
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pass — a permit
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. last — final
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. field — for sport
  10. last — finally
  11. key — the most important part
  12. cell — a phone
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. key — for a lock
  21. field — a subject
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. last — to go on
  24. key — in music

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