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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: pop · foot · press · row · rest · branch · lash · field

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rest — a break
  4. field — for sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. field — farmland
  10. press — newspapers
  11. field — a subject
  12. pop — to visit
  13. press — to push
  14. pop — music
  15. foot — a measure
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. row — to paddle
  19. rest — what's left
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. pop — soda
  23. row — a line
  24. branch — a division

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