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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. cell — in biology
  5. branch — a division
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. swing — to play on
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. press — newspapers
  12. chest — of your body
  13. press — to push
  14. chest — of your body
  15. press — a publisher
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. cell — a phone
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. chest — a box
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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