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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. field — a subject
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. field — for sport
  6. mate — a partner
  7. mate — to breed
  8. key — the most important part
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. key — for a lock
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. stem — to come from
  19. field — farmland
  20. key — in music
  21. branch — a division
  22. mate — a friend
  23. rush — hurry
  24. deal — an agreement

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