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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
468
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: stand · field · tube · cell · branch · mate · spring · march

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. field — farmland
  3. field — a subject
  4. stand — to bear
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in biology
  8. mate — a partner
  9. spring — a coil
  10. march — the month
  11. march — music
  12. mate — to breed
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. tube — a container
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. branch — a division
  20. tube — the underground
  21. field — for sport
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. mate — a friend

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