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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. field — farmland
  4. rock — music
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — ground
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. capital — a city
  10. branch — a division
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. field — a subject
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. field — for sport
  16. capital — money
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. rock — a stone
  20. toast — bread
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. land — a country
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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