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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. field — farmland
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. wind — moving air
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mate — to breed
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. drill — army training
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. band — a ring
  14. field — a subject
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. stand — to bear
  17. drill — a practice
  18. branch — a division
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mate — a partner
  21. band — a music group
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mate — a friend
  24. nail — on a finger

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