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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. field — farmland
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. shower — rain
  7. drill — the tool
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. shower — to wash
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. spell — magic
  13. field — for sport
  14. track — a song
  15. drill — a practice
  16. branch — a division
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. spell — a short time
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. drill — army training
  21. spell — letters
  22. toast — bread
  23. track — a path
  24. field — a subject

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