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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: chest · field · object · mate · spring · suit · branch · leaves

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. field — a subject
  3. object — an aim
  4. mate — a friend
  5. chest — of your body
  6. field — farmland
  7. chest — of your body
  8. mate — to breed
  9. field — for sport
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. chest — a box
  12. spring — of water
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. spring — a coil
  15. suit — clothes
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. suit — in cards
  18. object — to protest
  19. spring — the season
  20. suit — to fit
  21. object — a thing
  22. mate — a partner
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. branch — of a bank

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