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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: safe · track · sharp · chair · wave · branch · pitcher · field

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. branch — of a tree
  2. branch — a division
  3. track — a path
  4. chair — a leader
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. track — to keep track
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. track — a song
  14. field — a subject
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. sharp — clever
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. field — farmland
  23. safe — out of danger
  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