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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: file · bat · bay · stand · press · field · cap · branch

  1. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. press — a publisher
  3. stand — to bear
  4. cap — of ice
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. file — a document
  11. field — farmland
  12. field — a subject
  13. file — a line of people
  14. bat — the animal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. file — a tool
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. field — for sport
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. press — to push
  24. cap — a hat

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