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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. field — a subject
  3. branch — a division
  4. staff — employees
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. bore — to drill
  7. staff — a stick
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — in sport
  10. bore — to tire
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. mark — a grade
  13. pop — music
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. field — farmland
  16. wound — an injury
  17. pop — soda
  18. staff — employees
  19. pop — to visit
  20. season — of the year
  21. field — for sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mark — a trace
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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