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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: firm · branch · content · bore · mate · mark · field · swing

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. mate — a partner
  3. swing — music
  4. mark — a grade
  5. firm — steady
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. field — a subject
  9. swing — in golf
  10. bore — to drill
  11. field — for sport
  12. mate — to breed
  13. field — farmland
  14. content — happy
  15. content — the amount
  16. mate — a friend
  17. branch — a division
  18. firm — decided
  19. mark — a trace
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. swing — to play on
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. bore — to tire
  24. branch — of a tree

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