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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: stick · lash · field · ground · land · rush · branch · hide

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. field — for sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. rush — hurry
  7. land — to come down
  8. ground — the earth
  9. land — a country
  10. land — ground
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. field — a subject
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. ground — crushed
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. field — farmland
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. branch — of a bank

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