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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: fall · field · wave · bay · branch · fine · chip · cell

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. field — for sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. chip — to eat
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. chip — for betting
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fall — the season
  12. cell — in biology
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cell — a phone
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. branch — a division
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. field — a subject
  24. wave — of the sea

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