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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. staff — employees
  3. pop — music
  4. branch — a division
  5. tube — the underground
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. current — electric
  9. pop — soda
  10. tube — a container
  11. lie — to recline
  12. current — happening now
  13. field — farmland
  14. staff — a stick
  15. toast — bread
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. staff — employees
  19. field — a subject
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. current — of water
  22. field — for sport
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pop — to visit

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