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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: key · field · season · dip · row · fan · branch · cabinet

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. field — farmland
  4. season — in sport
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. row — to paddle
  7. key — for a lock
  8. field — a subject
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. dip — to sink
  12. branch — a division
  13. row — a line
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. key — in music
  17. key — the most important part
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. season — of the year
  24. branch — of a tree

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