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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. chest — a box
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. suit — to fit
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cap — of ice
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. suit — clothes
  13. row — a line
  14. land — to come down
  15. field — farmland
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. branch — a division
  18. chest — of your body
  19. row — to paddle
  20. chest — of your body
  21. cap — a hat
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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