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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 120 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 · net · mark · pound · object · cap · tear · branch

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. field — farmland
  3. pound — a weight
  4. object — a thing
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. field — for sport
  7. branch — a division
  8. net — after costs
  9. field — a subject
  10. cap — a hat
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cap — a lid
  13. tear — from crying
  14. cap — of ice
  15. tear — to rip
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. object — to protest
  18. mark — a grade
  19. net — for catching
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. mark — a trace
  22. object — an aim
  23. tear — from crying
  24. net — in 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