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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: cell · club · wind · mark · field · branch · stick · snap

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. branch — a division
  3. field — farmland
  4. cell — a phone
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. club — for dancing
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mark — a grade
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. wind — moving air
  13. snap — to click
  14. field — a subject
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. wind — moving air
  17. field — for sport
  18. club — a group
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. club — for golf
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. cell — in biology

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