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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: cabinet · branch · rush · field · board · cell · pitch · foot

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. field — farmland
  3. board — a committee
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. branch — a division
  11. board — to get on
  12. cell — a phone
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pitch — completely
  19. cell — in biology
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — hurry
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. foot — part of the body

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