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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. field — a subject
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cell — in biology
  6. press — newspapers
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. rest — a break
  10. field — farmland
  11. cell — a phone
  12. prune — to trim
  13. press — a publisher
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. press — to push
  16. branch — a division
  17. field — for sport
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. stock — goods
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. rest — what's left
  24. stock — shares

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