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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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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: field · snap · branch · ground · staff · bore

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  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. snap — to click
  2. ground — crushed
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bore — to tire
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. field — farmland
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — employees
  9. branch — a division
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. field — for sport
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. staff — a stick
  14. bore — to drill
  15. ground — the earth
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ground — a position
  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