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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. net — after costs
  2. press — newspapers
  3. press — to push
  4. net — for catching
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. branch — a division
  8. kid — to tease
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. press — a publisher
  12. kid — child
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. net — in sport
  15. snap — to click
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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