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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. cap — of ice
  5. track — a path
  6. cap — a lid
  7. fall — to drop
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. branch — a division
  10. field — for sport
  11. press — newspapers
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. field — a subject
  14. press — a publisher
  15. fall — the season
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. fall — to drop
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. field — farmland
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. track — to keep track
  23. track — a song
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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