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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. field — a subject
  3. bank — for money
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. vault — a safe
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. scale — size or range
  8. firm — steady
  9. bank — for money
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. branch — a division
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bank — of a river
  15. firm — decided
  16. firm — a company
  17. scale — in music
  18. field — for sport
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. row — to paddle
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — a line
  24. field — farmland

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