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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 120 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 · stick · rock · perch · field · drill · branch · mate

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. mate — to breed
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. cell — a phone
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mate — a partner
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cell — in biology
  16. perch — the fish
  17. field — for sport
  18. rock — a stone
  19. branch — a division
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. drill — a practice
  22. drill — army training
  23. field — farmland
  24. field — a subject

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