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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: lean · row · press · field · march · bay · stem · kick

  1. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  6. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. march — music
  3. press — to push
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. field — farmland
  6. stem — of a plant
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. march — the month
  12. press — newspapers
  13. lean — to bend
  14. lean — thin
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. row — to paddle
  19. field — a subject
  20. field — for sport
  21. stem — to come from
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. kick — in football
  24. march — the month

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