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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. press — newspapers
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. spring — of water
  6. spell — magic
  7. field — for sport
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. spring — a coil
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. spring — the season
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. press — to push
  17. hand — help
  18. hand — in cards
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. field — a subject
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. field — farmland
  24. press — a publisher

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