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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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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: cell · scale · press · bowl · root · field · bank · chair

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. chair — a leader
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. root — of a word
  5. root — of a plant
  6. scale — in music
  7. field — farmland
  8. field — a subject
  9. press — to push
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. press — newspapers
  12. cell — a phone
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. bank — for money
  15. cell — in biology
  16. scale — size or range
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. bank — for money
  20. root — the cause
  21. field — for sport
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bank — of a river
  24. press — a publisher

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