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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 120 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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. press — newspapers
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. spring — a coil
  5. march — the month
  6. march — music
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. track — a song
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. spring — of water
  11. march — the month
  12. press — to push
  13. rock — a stone
  14. branch — a division
  15. content — the amount
  16. rock — music
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. spring — the season
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. press — a publisher
  23. track — a path
  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