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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. press — newspapers
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bulb — for light
  5. firm — steady
  6. degree — an amount
  7. rock — a stone
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. press — to push
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. firm — a company
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — a subject
  17. branch — a division
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. press — a publisher
  20. field — for sport
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. rock — music
  23. bark — to shout
  24. degree — temperature

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