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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 124 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. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. field — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. field — a subject
  7. object — to protest
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. branch — a division
  10. last — finally
  11. object — a thing
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. drill — the tool
  14. last — final
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. key — in music
  17. last — to go on
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. object — an aim
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. key — the most important part
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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