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

Word bank: mark · branch · press · pop · firm · field · fine · scale

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. branch — a division
  3. field — a subject
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. scale — size or range
  7. firm — decided
  8. fine — high quality
  9. firm — steady
  10. press — a publisher
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. field — for sport
  13. fine — all right
  14. field — farmland
  15. pop — soda
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pop — music
  20. mark — a grade
  21. press — to push
  22. pop — to visit
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mark — a trace

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