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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: pitcher · sharp · ground · deal · field · wound · trunk · branch

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. ground — the earth
  3. field — farmland
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. ground — a position
  6. branch — a division
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. deal — to handle
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. wound — an injury
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ground — crushed
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. field — a subject
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. sharp — clever

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