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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. field — a subject
  4. field — for sport
  5. charge — a price
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. press — a publisher
  8. stem — to come from
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. charge — in control
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. charge — electricity
  14. field — farmland
  15. bat — the animal
  16. lie — to recline
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. press — to push
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. board — a committee
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a flat piece

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