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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: field · mug · spring · branch · chip · bass · face · bowl

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. spring — the season
  4. field — farmland
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. chip — to eat
  8. spring — a coil
  9. field — for sport
  10. face — part of the head
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spring — of water
  13. bass — the fish
  14. face — to point toward
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — low music
  17. field — a subject
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. mug — a face
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. branch — a division
  22. mug — a cup
  23. face — to confront
  24. chip — for betting

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