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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: toast · band · chair · cap · field · branch · key · cell

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. field — farmland
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. toast — bread
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. cell — in biology
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. key — the most important part
  10. cap — a lid
  11. band — a ring
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. key — in music
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. field — a subject
  17. cap — of ice
  18. cell — a phone
  19. key — for a lock
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. cap — a hat
  22. chair — a leader
  23. branch — a division
  24. band — a music group

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