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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. bore — to drill
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. field — a subject
  5. field — for sport
  6. rush — hurry
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. dip — to sink
  12. swing — music
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. swing — in golf
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. press — newspapers
  20. swing — to play on
  21. branch — a division
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bore — to tire
  24. field — farmland

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