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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · branch · temple · wind · face · staff · mouse · field

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. field — for sport
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. wind — moving air
  5. field — a subject
  6. drill — a practice
  7. face — to point toward
  8. wind — moving air
  9. staff — employees
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. staff — employees
  12. branch — a division
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. field — farmland
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. face — to confront
  17. staff — a stick
  18. face — part of the head
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. drill — army training
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. drill — the tool

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