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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — hasty
  3. field — farmland
  4. branch — a division
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. club — a group
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. board — to get on
  9. field — for sport
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. club — for golf
  12. clip — a video
  13. board — a committee
  14. rule — a law
  15. field — a subject
  16. rule — government
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. rash — a series
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. club — for dancing
  24. branch — of a bank

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