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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. field — a subject
  3. chest — a box
  4. branch — a division
  5. staff — a stick
  6. field — for sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. staff — employees
  13. field — farmland
  14. mate — a partner
  15. staff — employees
  16. chest — of your body
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. mug — a face
  19. bat — the animal
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. chest — of your body

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