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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 116 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: field · rock · branch · rash · pit · court · last · bore

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. branch — a division
  3. last — to go on
  4. last — final
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rock — music
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. field — a subject
  13. last — finally
  14. court — of law
  15. rash — a series
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. field — farmland
  18. court — of a king
  19. field — for sport
  20. pit — in a race
  21. rock — a stone
  22. court — for sport
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. bore — to drill

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