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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: object · bank · nail · branch · rash · spring · racket · field

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. object — to protest
  3. bank — for money
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. bank — for money
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. spring — the season
  13. bank — of a river
  14. object — an aim
  15. branch — a division
  16. spring — of water
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. field — farmland
  19. rash — a series
  20. field — for sport
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. spring — a coil
  23. object — a thing
  24. field — a subject

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