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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. season — in sport
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. drill — a practice
  7. tube — a container
  8. field — for sport
  9. ball — a dance
  10. branch — a division
  11. drill — army training
  12. rash — hasty
  13. season — of the year
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. field — a subject
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. tube — the underground
  19. field — farmland
  20. ball — a great time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rash — a series
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. drill — the tool

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