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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: march · branch · toast · jam · staff · field · bound · chest

  1. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — in traffic
  2. branch — a division
  3. march — music
  4. field — farmland
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. chest — of your body
  7. field — a subject
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. chest — of your body
  11. bound — certain
  12. march — the month
  13. staff — a stick
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. bound — tied together
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — bread
  20. bound — obliged
  21. chest — a box
  22. staff — employees
  23. field — for sport
  24. staff — employees

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