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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. cap — a hat
  4. rash — hasty
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. rock — music
  8. stem — to come from
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. cap — of ice
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. last — finally
  13. last — to go on
  14. field — for sport
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. branch — a division
  17. rash — a series
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. field — farmland
  22. rock — a stone
  23. last — final
  24. branch — of a bank

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