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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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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. press — a publisher
  5. tube — a container
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — the fish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. root — the cause
  13. march — music
  14. press — to push
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. root — of a word
  18. root — of a plant
  19. tube — the underground
  20. press — newspapers
  21. content — the amount
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. content — happy
  24. branch — a division

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