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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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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: stick · lie · field · mug · land · branch · cap · scale

  1. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. land — ground
  4. cap — a lid
  5. mug — to rob
  6. field — a subject
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cap — of ice
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — farmland
  11. field — for sport
  12. cap — a hat
  13. mug — a face
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. land — to come down
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. land — a country
  19. lie — to recline
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. mug — a cup
  22. scale — in music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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