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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. field — a subject
  3. current — electric
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. hand — in cards
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. chip — for betting
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. field — for sport
  10. chip — to eat
  11. press — newspapers
  12. current — happening now
  13. bark — to shout
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stock — shares
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. branch — a division
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. current — of water
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. stock — goods
  23. field — farmland
  24. hand — help

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