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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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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pop — to visit
  3. track — a song
  4. saw — the tool
  5. press — to push
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. press — newspapers
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — a subject
  11. field — for sport
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pop — music
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. saw — the tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. press — a publisher
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pop — soda
  22. track — a path
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. field — farmland

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