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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: bank · net · branch · can · field · cue · mark · last

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. can — a tin
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. field — farmland
  5. last — final
  6. bank — of a river
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bank — for money
  9. can — a tin
  10. cue — for pool
  11. net — in sport
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. bank — for money
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cue — a signal
  17. last — finally
  18. cue — a hint
  19. net — for catching
  20. net — after costs
  21. branch — a division
  22. mark — a trace
  23. last — to go on
  24. field — for sport

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