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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: rash · key · staff · bay · snap · branch · ground · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — a division
  4. snap — to click
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. rash — a series
  8. ground — crushed
  9. staff — employees
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. key — for a lock
  12. field — for sport
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ground — the earth
  15. rash — hasty
  16. ground — a position
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. staff — employees
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. key — the most important part
  21. field — farmland
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. key — in music
  24. bay — a part 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