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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: charge · chest · field · press · branch · prune · mug · dip

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. dip — to sink
  3. chest — of your body
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. charge — electricity
  6. chest — a box
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. branch — a division
  9. chest — of your body
  10. field — for sport
  11. charge — in control
  12. press — a publisher
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — a face
  19. charge — a price
  20. press — to push
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. field — a subject
  23. mug — to rob
  24. field — farmland

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