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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. field — a subject
  3. band — a music group
  4. saw — the tool
  5. charge — a price
  6. field — farmland
  7. branch — a division
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. charge — in control
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. field — for sport
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. fork — in a road
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. ball — a great time
  20. band — a ring
  21. ball — a dance
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. charge — electricity

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