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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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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: pop · jam · cabinet · bowl · clip · branch · field · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. field — a subject
  3. mug — a cup
  4. clip — to cut
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pop — to visit
  7. field — for sport
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. pop — soda
  12. mug — a face
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. clip — for paper
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. pop — music
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. field — farmland
  23. clip — a video
  24. branch — a division

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