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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: staff · rock · content · rule · squash · fall · branch · field

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. rock — music
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rule — a law
  9. fall — the season
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. staff — employees
  14. staff — employees
  15. squash — the sport
  16. staff — a stick
  17. rule — government
  18. squash — to crush
  19. content — happy
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. fall — to drop

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