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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 116 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: pass · bark · cap · mine · key · court · branch · field

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — for a lock
  5. mine — for digging
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. cap — a lid
  8. field — for sport
  9. cap — a hat
  10. court — for sport
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — farmland
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. court — of law
  18. court — of a king
  19. pass — a permit
  20. key — in music
  21. bark — to shout
  22. branch — a division
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mine — belonging to me

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