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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: cabinet · leaves · branch · snap · jam · stick · cold · field

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. snap — to click
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. field — farmland
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. cold — not warm
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. field — for sport
  21. cold — an illness
  22. field — a subject
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. leaves — 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