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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: spell · field · branch · saw · cap · rash · bound · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. saw — the tool
  3. field — farmland
  4. field — for sport
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. saw — the tool
  7. bound — certain
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. roll — a cake
  12. field — a subject
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bound — tied together
  17. spell — magic
  18. cap — a lid
  19. rash — a series
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — a division
  22. rash — hasty
  23. bound — obliged
  24. cap — of ice

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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