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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: rash · lie · field · ground · object · dip · branch · club

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. branch — a division
  3. ground — a position
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. lie — to recline
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. object — an aim
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. field — for sport
  12. dip — to sink
  13. ground — crushed
  14. club — a group
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rash — hasty
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — a subject
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ground — the earth
  22. object — a thing
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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