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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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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 · content · pop · wind · spring · bore · branch · can

  1. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. content — the amount
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. wind — moving air
  7. can — a tin
  8. spring — the season
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. spring — of water
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. can — to be able to
  14. spring — a coil
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. field — a subject
  17. bore — to drill
  18. can — a tin
  19. wind — moving air
  20. field — for sport
  21. bore — to tire
  22. branch — a division
  23. pop — to visit
  24. content — happy

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