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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. field — for sport
  3. field — a subject
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. net — for catching
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. net — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bank — for money
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bank — for money
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. field — farmland
  18. chair — a leader
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. march — the month
  22. net — after costs
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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