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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. squash — the sport
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. tube — the underground
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. press — newspapers
  10. tube — a container
  11. press — to push
  12. squash — to crush
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — rain
  24. press — a publisher

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