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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. net — after costs
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. present — the time now
  6. fork — in a road
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. net — in sport
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. branch — a division
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. net — for catching
  14. field — for sport
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. swing — music
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. present — a gift
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. field — a subject
  24. present — there

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