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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  2. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — farmland
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. net — after costs
  4. press — newspapers
  5. press — to push
  6. press — a publisher
  7. bass — the fish
  8. bank — for money
  9. saw — the tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. bank — of a river
  12. saw — the tool
  13. net — for catching
  14. field — a subject
  15. present — a gift
  16. bass — low music
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. present — there
  19. bank — for money
  20. present — the time now
  21. band — a ring
  22. net — in sport
  23. field — for sport
  24. band — a music group

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