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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. bound — certain
  5. charge — in control
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. last — final
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. press — to push
  12. bound — tied together
  13. charge — electricity
  14. press — newspapers
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mine — for digging
  17. last — to go on
  18. press — a publisher
  19. charge — a price
  20. rash — a series
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rash — hasty
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. last — finally

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