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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. drill — the tool
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bound — tied together
  6. tube — the underground
  7. field — for sport
  8. bound — certain
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. field — farmland
  11. degree — temperature
  12. tube — a container
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. field — a subject
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bound — obliged
  17. scale — size or range
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. scale — in music
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. drill — army training
  22. degree — an amount
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. drill — a practice

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