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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: board · jam · bat · mug · clip · season · branch · field

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — the animal
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. branch — a division
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. board — a committee
  8. field — for sport
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. clip — to cut
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. season — in sport
  13. field — farmland
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. mug — to rob
  16. board — to get on
  17. season — of the year
  18. mug — a cup
  19. clip — a video
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. clip — for paper
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. mug — a face
  24. field — a subject

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