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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. land — a country
  5. object — an aim
  6. branch — a division
  7. dip — to sink
  8. field — a subject
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. land — to come down
  11. object — a thing
  12. field — for sport
  13. last — finally
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. last — to go on
  16. object — to protest
  17. row — to paddle
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. field — farmland
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. land — ground
  24. row — a line

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