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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. staff — a stick
  7. field — farmland
  8. branch — a division
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. vault — a safe
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. game — a match
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. staff — employees
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. field — for sport
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bark — to shout
  24. staff — employees

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