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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: clip · field · date · press · pop · branch · bear · rest

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. bear — the animal
  3. pop — soda
  4. clip — to cut
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. field — farmland
  9. pop — music
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bear — the animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. branch — a division
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. clip — a video
  16. press — a publisher
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — the fruit
  19. rest — what's left
  20. rest — a break
  21. clip — for paper
  22. pop — to visit
  23. press — to push
  24. field — for sport

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