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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 stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. field — a subject
  3. bass — low music
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. chip — for betting
  6. can — a tin
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. track — a song
  9. bank — for money
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. branch — a division
  12. field — farmland
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. track — a path
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. chip — to eat
  17. bank — for money
  18. can — to be able to
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. track — to keep track
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. bank — of a river
  23. bass — the fish
  24. can — a tin

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