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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. press — a publisher
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. drill — the tool
  8. press — to push
  9. court — for sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. court — of law
  12. court — of a king
  13. saw — the tool
  14. saw — the tool
  15. press — newspapers
  16. drill — army training
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. drill — a practice
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. tear — from crying
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  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