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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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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: bat · bound · foot · field · branch · mark · rash · chest

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. mark — a trace
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. bat — the animal
  5. field — farmland
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. chest — of your body
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. chest — a box
  11. bound — obliged
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rash — hasty
  16. foot — a measure
  17. field — a subject
  18. field — for sport
  19. bound — tied together
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. bound — certain
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. branch — a division

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