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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: temple · branch · pitch · ground · mate · press · field · arm

  1. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. pitch — completely
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. press — to push
  6. mate — a partner
  7. field — for sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. ground — crushed
  10. mate — to breed
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. press — a publisher
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. mate — a friend
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. branch — a division
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. ground — a position
  23. field — a subject
  24. press — newspapers

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