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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. field — a subject
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. wax — to grow
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. field — farmland
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mine — for digging
  16. fine — all right
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. stand — to bear
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. field — for sport
  22. branch — a division
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fine — high quality

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