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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. field — a subject
  5. press — newspapers
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. field — for sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. press — a publisher
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. press — to push
  13. lie — to recline
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. file — a tool
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. field — farmland
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. branch — a division
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. nail — for a hammer

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