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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: last · field · branch · chair · bulb · drill · stand · cue

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. last — to go on
  5. branch — a division
  6. chair — a leader
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — army training
  9. cue — a hint
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bulb — for light
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. last — final
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. drill — the tool
  17. field — for sport
  18. cue — a signal
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cue — for pool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. last — finally
  24. field — farmland

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