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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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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: field · ground · rock · wax · mug · bound · branch · tear

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mug — a face
  3. tear — from crying
  4. field — farmland
  5. branch — a division
  6. tear — to rip
  7. wax — to grow
  8. bound — certain
  9. rock — music
  10. tear — from crying
  11. ground — the earth
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. field — for sport
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. ground — crushed
  17. mug — a cup
  18. ground — a position
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. mug — to rob
  21. field — a subject
  22. rock — a stone
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rock — to move gently

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