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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: date · kick · field · mate · spell · ball · tear · branch

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. kick — in football
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. mate — to breed
  6. date — the fruit
  7. tear — from crying
  8. field — a subject
  9. ball — a dance
  10. mate — a friend
  11. tear — from crying
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mate — a partner
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. branch — a division
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. spell — letters
  19. field — for sport
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. ball — a great time
  22. spell — magic
  23. field — farmland
  24. spell — a short time

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