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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 120 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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. When was this ________________ built?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. press — to push
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pop — soda
  7. pop — music
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. branch — a division
  10. game — a match
  11. band — a ring
  12. game — wild animals
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. pop — to visit
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. press — newspapers
  24. band — a music group

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