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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: jam · press · bark · bat · field · foot · bank · snap

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. bark — to shout
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. bank — of a river
  14. foot — a measure
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. bank — for money
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. snap — to click
  21. field — farmland
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. press — newspapers
  24. field — a subject

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