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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. press — a publisher
  3. key — the most important part
  4. key — in music
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. press — to push
  7. march — music
  8. field — for sport
  9. degree — temperature
  10. field — farmland
  11. press — newspapers
  12. branch — a division
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. key — for a lock
  15. craft — a skill
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. degree — an amount
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. field — a subject
  22. degree — from a university
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. march — the month

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