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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 · court · branch · plane · toast · pop · rock · ball

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. rock — music
  3. ball — a great time
  4. field — a subject
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. plane — a tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. court — for sport
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. toast — bread
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. pop — to visit
  17. field — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. pop — music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. branch — a division
  22. pop — soda
  23. plane — an aircraft
  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