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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. press — to push
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. press — a publisher
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — of ice
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. present — a gift
  10. press — newspapers
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. branch — a division
  14. cap — a hat
  15. capital — money
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. present — there
  18. capital — a city
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cap — a lid
  21. present — the time now
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. perch — for a bird
  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