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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. track — a path
  4. track — to keep track
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. track — a song
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. field — a subject
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. field — farmland
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. field — for sport
  15. mine — for digging
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. branch — a division
  18. date — the fruit
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. pound — a weight
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pound — to hit hard

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