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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: land · racket · branch · mine · trunk · field

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. field — farmland
  5. mine — for digging
  6. field — for sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. land — ground
  13. land — to come down
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. land — a country
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. field — a subject

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