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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. field — for sport
  4. press — newspapers
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. press — a publisher
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. season — of the year
  9. kid — to tease
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. prune — to trim
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. field — a subject
  14. press — to push
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. prune — to trim
  17. field — farmland
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — a division
  20. saw — the tool
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. kid — child
  24. season — in sport

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