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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. band — a music group
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mark — a grade
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. field — for sport
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. face — part of the head
  13. band — a ring
  14. field — farmland
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. mark — a trace
  18. spring — a coil
  19. branch — a division
  20. field — a subject
  21. face — to confront
  22. spring — the season
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. spring — of water

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