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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. drill — army training
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. bank — for money
  10. field — for sport
  11. branch — a division
  12. bank — for money
  13. field — a subject
  14. drill — a practice
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. saw — the tool
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. drill — the tool
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bank — of a river
  22. saw — the tool
  23. field — farmland
  24. rash — a series

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