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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 124 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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. field — a subject
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. face — part of the head
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. key — the most important part
  7. field — farmland
  8. bank — of a river
  9. key — in music
  10. face — to confront
  11. craft — boats
  12. press — newspapers
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bank — for money
  15. saw — the tool
  16. key — for a lock
  17. press — to push
  18. field — for sport
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. craft — a skill
  21. saw — the tool
  22. face — to point toward
  23. press — a publisher
  24. craft — a handicraft

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