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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mark — a trace
  4. cap — of ice
  5. chest — of your body
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. field — for sport
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cap — a hat
  10. mark — a grade
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. fall — the season
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. fall — to drop
  15. cap — a lid
  16. bore — to drill
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. field — a subject
  20. bore — to tire
  21. chest — a box
  22. field — farmland
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. chest — of your body

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