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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. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. branch — a division
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. deal — to handle
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. fall — to drop
  7. fall — to drop
  8. press — newspapers
  9. tube — the underground
  10. press — to push
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. press — a publisher
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. tube — a container
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. field — farmland
  22. field — for sport
  23. fall — the season
  24. ruler — a monarch

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