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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: board · rash · field · scale · branch · pit · lie · press

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. rash — a series
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. board — to get on
  8. field — for sport
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. rash — hasty
  11. press — newspapers
  12. field — a subject
  13. scale — in music
  14. field — farmland
  15. board — a committee
  16. press — a publisher
  17. press — to push
  18. branch — a division
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. scale — size or range

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