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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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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: press · field · mate · saw · lie · pit · branch · bark

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. mate — to breed
  3. press — a publisher
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. field — a subject
  7. pit — in a race
  8. branch — a division
  9. press — to push
  10. field — for sport
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pit — a hole
  14. field — farmland
  15. press — newspapers
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mate — a friend
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. saw — the tool
  23. lie — to recline
  24. saw — the tool

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