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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bear — the animal
  3. degree — an amount
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. degree — from a university
  6. mark — a grade
  7. last — finally
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. bear — the animal
  11. field — a subject
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. field — farmland
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. mark — a trace
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. degree — temperature
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. last — final
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. last — to go on
  24. branch — a division

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