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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 116 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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bound — certain
  3. wax — to grow
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. chip — for betting
  7. bound — tied together
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. field — farmland
  10. club — for golf
  11. bass — the fish
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for dancing
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bound — obliged
  18. bass — low music
  19. chip — to eat
  20. spring — of water
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spring — the season
  23. field — for sport
  24. spring — a coil

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