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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: press · branch · wind · lean · field · wake · roll · charge

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. branch — a division
  4. press — to push
  5. wake — a trail
  6. lean — thin
  7. field — for sport
  8. press — a publisher
  9. charge — electricity
  10. wind — moving air
  11. field — a subject
  12. press — newspapers
  13. roll — a cake
  14. charge — a price
  15. field — farmland
  16. lean — to bend
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. charge — in control
  20. wind — moving air
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. roll — a list
  24. wake — before a funeral

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