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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 · bear · patient · track · branch · degree · stock · key

  1. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. key — for a lock
  2. track — a path
  3. stock — shares
  4. bear — the animal
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. key — in music
  7. stock — goods
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. field — a subject
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. field — farmland
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. track — to keep track
  16. degree — from a university
  17. bear — the animal
  18. degree — temperature
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. key — the most important part
  21. field — for sport
  22. degree — an amount
  23. branch — a division
  24. patient — a sick person

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