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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  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. mouse — the animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. spell — magic
  5. field — a subject
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. field — farmland
  9. land — to come down
  10. land — a country
  11. spell — a short time
  12. key — in music
  13. spell — letters
  14. key — for a lock
  15. land — ground
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. key — the most important part
  18. mark — a grade
  19. branch — a division
  20. mark — a trace
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. coach — a trainer
  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