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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. mug — a cup
  5. field — farmland
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. field — a subject
  8. fall — to drop
  9. lean — to bend
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mug — a face
  12. file — a line of people
  13. branch — a division
  14. file — a tool
  15. field — for sport
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. file — a document
  18. fall — the season
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. fall — to drop
  22. pop — soda
  23. lean — thin
  24. pop — music

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