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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: foot · bat · bark · bowl · mate · field · racket · branch

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. branch — a division
  3. field — for sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. mate — a partner
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. foot — a measure
  14. bat — the animal
  15. mate — to breed
  16. field — farmland
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. mate — a friend
  19. bark — to shout
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bowl — a dish

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