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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 120 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: mug · pound · branch · key · press · bass · field · pass

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bass — low music
  4. mug — a face
  5. field — for sport
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. press — a publisher
  9. branch — a division
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. pass — a permit
  14. key — the most important part
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. mug — to rob
  17. field — farmland
  18. pound — a weight
  19. field — a subject
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. key — for a lock
  22. press — to push
  23. key — in music
  24. bass — the fish

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