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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 120 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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. branch — a division
  3. craft — boats
  4. field — a subject
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. staff — employees
  7. stock — shares
  8. ball — a great time
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. stock — goods
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. press — a publisher
  14. field — for sport
  15. staff — a stick
  16. stem — to come from
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. press — newspapers
  19. craft — a skill
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. ball — a dance
  22. field — farmland
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. press — to push

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