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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: lie · foot · branch · field · sharp · clip · coach · press

  1. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. press — to push
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. field — a subject
  5. press — newspapers
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. lie — to recline
  9. press — a publisher
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. clip — a video
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. foot — a measure
  18. branch — a division
  19. clip — to cut
  20. clip — for paper
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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