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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. pound — a weight
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. pass — a permit
  8. field — farmland
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. field — for sport
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. firm — steady
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. branch — a division
  18. field — a subject
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. game — a match
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. firm — a company
  23. firm — decided
  24. trunk — of a car

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