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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. mine — for digging
  4. field — farmland
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. branch — a division
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. swing — to play on
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. swing — music
  15. present — a gift
  16. face — to confront
  17. bear — the animal
  18. present — the time now
  19. present — there
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. swing — in golf
  24. field — a subject

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