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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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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: field · branch · chair · fine · firm · root · land · race

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. firm — a company
  3. fine — all right
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. race — the arms race
  9. field — farmland
  10. land — to come down
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. chair — a leader
  13. root — of a word
  14. firm — decided
  15. fine — high quality
  16. root — of a plant
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. firm — steady
  19. branch — a division
  20. race — humankind
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. race — a contest
  23. field — a subject
  24. root — the cause

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