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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. can — to be able to
  4. field — farmland
  5. can — a tin
  6. lean — to bend
  7. field — a subject
  8. swing — in golf
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. game — a match
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. swing — music
  13. race — a contest
  14. branch — a division
  15. field — for sport
  16. game — wild animals
  17. lean — thin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — humankind
  21. swing — to play on
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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