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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · field · mug · vault · craft · degree · patient · press

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. field — a subject
  3. press — a publisher
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. degree — an amount
  6. branch — a division
  7. degree — from a university
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — a safe
  10. craft — a skill
  11. field — farmland
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. mug — a face
  15. craft — boats
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. mug — to rob
  20. degree — temperature
  21. field — for sport
  22. press — to push
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. mug — a cup

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