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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: pitcher · field · roll · cabinet · branch · mug · foot · bear

  1. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. bear — the animal
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. mug — a face
  7. mug — to rob
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. bear — the animal
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. roll — a list
  12. branch — a division
  13. field — farmland
  14. roll — a cake
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mug — a cup
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. foot — a measure
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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