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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 116 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: branch · bark · charge · wake · press · bear · spell · field

  1. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — a dog's sound
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. press — to push
  5. charge — electricity
  6. branch — a division
  7. field — a subject
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — magic
  10. press — a publisher
  11. press — newspapers
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. field — farmland
  15. charge — in control
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. spell — a short time
  18. field — for sport
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bear — the animal
  22. charge — a price
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. wake — a trail

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