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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. club — for golf
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — a partner
  5. staff — employees
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. club — a group
  8. branch — a division
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. march — music
  13. press — newspapers
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. mate — to breed
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. bore — to tire
  21. bore — to drill
  22. mate — a friend
  23. staff — employees
  24. branch — of a tree

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