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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: patient · branch · lie · toast · press · stick · saw · stand

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. press — a publisher
  5. branch — a division
  6. toast — bread
  7. stand — to bear
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. press — newspapers
  15. press — to push
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. patient — calm and waiting
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. lie — to recline
  24. branch — of a tree

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