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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
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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: roll · branch · degree · bay · field · chip · date · face

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. field — farmland
  3. face — to confront
  4. roll — a cake
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. chip — to eat
  7. roll — a list
  8. face — part of the head
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. face — to point toward
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. date — the fruit
  16. chip — for betting
  17. degree — an amount
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. degree — from a university
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. degree — temperature
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — a subject
  24. branch — of a bank

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