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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: patient · face · branch · date · stem · vault · press · ground

  1. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  2. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — a sick person
  2. stem — a stem cell
  3. press — a publisher
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. vault — a safe
  7. face — to confront
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. press — to push
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. ground — a position
  14. face — to point toward
  15. face — part of the head
  16. press — newspapers
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. ground — crushed
  20. branch — a division
  21. ground — the earth
  22. stem — to come from
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. branch — of a bank

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