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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stem — to come from
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. degree — temperature
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. key — the most important part
  10. track — a song
  11. degree — from a university
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. degree — an amount
  14. field — farmland
  15. field — a subject
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. key — for a lock
  18. track — a path
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. saw — the tool
  22. key — in music
  23. branch — a division
  24. field — for sport

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