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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: date · field · bank · press · land · calf · spring · dip

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. field — farmland
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. press — a publisher
  5. bank — for money
  6. spring — the season
  7. bank — of a river
  8. field — for sport
  9. dip — to sink
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. spring — a coil
  14. land — ground
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. land — to come down
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. press — newspapers
  19. land — a country
  20. spring — of water
  21. press — to push
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. bank — for money

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