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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 chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. bark — to shout
  5. mug — to rob
  6. mug — a face
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. press — newspapers
  12. rash — a series
  13. mug — a cup
  14. lie — to recline
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rash — hasty
  21. cold — an illness
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. branch — a division
  24. press — to push

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