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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. march — the month
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. rock — a stone
  8. file — a document
  9. march — music
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — farmland
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. rock — music
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. march — the month
  17. field — for sport
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a tool
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fork — to eat with
  24. coach — a trainer

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