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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. press — a publisher
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. degree — an amount
  5. last — final
  6. degree — temperature
  7. press — newspapers
  8. chair — a leader
  9. lean — thin
  10. swing — music
  11. press — to push
  12. last — finally
  13. degree — from a university
  14. last — to go on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. swing — to play on
  17. lean — to bend
  18. track — a path
  19. track — a song
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. track — to keep track

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