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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 little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. field — for sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. field — farmland
  5. club — for golf
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. can — to be able to
  8. pass — a permit
  9. can — a tin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. club — for dancing
  13. branch — a division
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. land — ground
  17. land — to come down
  18. club — a group
  19. field — a subject
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. bear — the animal
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. land — a country
  24. branch — of a tree

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