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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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468
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: bank · hand · capital · branch · cell · press · field · toast

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. cell — a phone
  3. branch — a division
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. hand — help
  6. press — a publisher
  7. field — farmland
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. field — a subject
  10. bank — for money
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bank — of a river
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. field — for sport
  15. capital — a city
  16. toast — bread
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. press — newspapers
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bank — for money
  21. capital — money
  22. press — to push
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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