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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: squash · band · key · spring · branch · field · rock · safe

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — for sport
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. key — for a lock
  5. branch — a division
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rock — music
  11. rock — a stone
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. spring — the season
  15. spring — a coil
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. band — a ring
  18. key — in music
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. spring — of water
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. band — a music group
  23. field — farmland
  24. safe — out of danger

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