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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. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. field — a subject
  4. press — to push
  5. bank — for money
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. hand — help
  10. field — farmland
  11. press — newspapers
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. lean — to bend
  16. lean — thin
  17. bank — of a river
  18. pop — to visit
  19. bass — low music
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bank — for money
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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