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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. field — farmland
  4. track — a path
  5. bound — certain
  6. field — for sport
  7. cue — for pool
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cue — a signal
  10. current — electric
  11. field — a subject
  12. current — of water
  13. branch — a division
  14. bound — obliged
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. track — a song
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. bound — tied together
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. current — happening now
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bark — to shout

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