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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rock · hide · press · game · branch · lie · field · toast

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. game — a match
  3. lie — to recline
  4. press — to push
  5. toast — bread
  6. field — a subject
  7. field — for sport
  8. rock — music
  9. field — farmland
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. press — newspapers
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. press — a publisher
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. branch — a division
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rock — a stone
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. lie — an untruth

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