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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: file · pop · stick · field · perch · patient · bark · press

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. field — a subject
  3. press — a publisher
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. file — a line of people
  6. field — farmland
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. file — a document
  11. pop — soda
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. press — newspapers
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. pop — to visit
  20. file — a tool
  21. press — to push
  22. perch — the fish
  23. field — for sport
  24. pop — music

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