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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. branch — a division
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. press — a publisher
  6. bass — low music
  7. band — a ring
  8. swing — in golf
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. file — a tool
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. file — a line of people
  15. bass — the fish
  16. press — newspapers
  17. file — a document
  18. wind — moving air
  19. swing — music
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. wind — moving air
  22. press — to push
  23. band — a music group
  24. swing — to play on

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