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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. object — a thing
  3. press — a publisher
  4. lash — an eyelash
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bound — obliged
  9. prune — to trim
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. press — newspapers
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the sport
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. object — to protest
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. object — an aim
  21. press — to push
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. bound — certain

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