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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. track — a song
  4. lean — to bend
  5. field — a subject
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chip — to eat
  8. lean — thin
  9. track — a path
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. field — farmland
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. chip — for betting
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. field — for sport
  18. toast — bread
  19. track — to keep track
  20. capital — money
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. capital — a city

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