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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: toast · field · branch · date · scale · deal · drill · band

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. scale — size or range
  5. field — farmland
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. band — a ring
  9. branch — a division
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. scale — in music
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. drill — army training
  15. deal — to handle
  16. field — for sport
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. drill — the tool
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. drill — a practice
  21. band — a music group
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. toast — bread
  24. date — the fruit

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