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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. bulb — for light
  4. press — to push
  5. press — newspapers
  6. bank — for money
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. present — a gift
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. file — a document
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. bank — for money
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a line of people
  15. field — for sport
  16. file — a tool
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. bank — of a river
  19. press — a publisher
  20. lean — to bend
  21. present — the time now
  22. lean — thin
  23. bulb — for light
  24. present — there

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