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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: branch · swing · field · key · bulb · foot · cell · sharp

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. field — farmland
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. foot — a measure
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bulb — for light
  7. bulb — for light
  8. field — a subject
  9. key — in music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. branch — a division
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in biology
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. field — for sport
  21. key — for a lock
  22. foot — the bottom
  23. key — the most important part
  24. foot — part of the body

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