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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. bass — the fish
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. field — farmland
  6. field — for sport
  7. object — a thing
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bore — to tire
  14. bore — to drill
  15. object — an aim
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. branch — a division
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. kid — child
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. bass — low music
  23. kick — in football
  24. object — to protest

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