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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: rash · cold · branch · field · object · rest · present · ball

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rest — a break
  5. field — farmland
  6. rest — what's left
  7. field — for sport
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. object — an aim
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ball — a dance
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. present — a gift
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. field — a subject
  16. rash — a series
  17. present — the time now
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. branch — a division
  20. ball — a great time
  21. rest — what's left
  22. object — to protest
  23. cold — an illness
  24. present — there

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