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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. content — the amount
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. swing — music
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. court — for sport
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. field — farmland
  16. branch — a division
  17. court — of law
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. field — for sport
  20. swing — in golf
  21. content — happy
  22. court — of a king
  23. bark — to shout
  24. swing — to play on

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