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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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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. current — happening now
  3. branch — a division
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. field — a subject
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. current — of water
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. field — farmland
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. press — to push
  17. field — for sport
  18. current — electric
  19. hand — help
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. sharp — clever

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