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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 116 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: cabinet · prune · bat · branch · press · rock · stem · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. rock — a stone
  5. field — for sport
  6. stem — to come from
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. prune — to trim
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. press — to push
  16. prune — to trim
  17. rock — music
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bat — the animal
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. branch — a division
  23. press — newspapers
  24. press — a publisher

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