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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mate — a partner
  3. present — the time now
  4. field — a subject
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. mate — to breed
  7. content — the amount
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. content — happy
  10. press — to push
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. mate — a friend
  14. present — a gift
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. field — farmland
  18. present — there
  19. press — newspapers
  20. press — a publisher
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. field — for sport
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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