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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — for sport
  3. object — an aim
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bank — of a river
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — a short time
  9. object — to protest
  10. bank — for money
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. field — farmland
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. spell — letters
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. hand — help
  18. field — a subject
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. hand — in cards
  21. branch — a division
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. object — a thing

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