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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: deal · rest · club · last · field · pound · object · branch

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. rest — a break
  3. club — a group
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — a weight
  6. last — finally
  7. field — farmland
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. deal — to handle
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. object — to protest
  12. object — an aim
  13. rest — what's left
  14. club — for dancing
  15. object — a thing
  16. club — for golf
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. last — final
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. last — to go on
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. rest — what's left
  24. field — for sport

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