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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 · mine · can · wax · sharp · rush · branch · march

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. wax — to grow
  6. march — the month
  7. mine — for digging
  8. can — a tin
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. march — the month
  12. field — a subject
  13. can — to be able to
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. sharp — clever
  16. march — music
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. branch — a division
  19. rush — hurry
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. can — a tin
  24. field — farmland

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