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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. branch — a division
  4. kid — child
  5. sharp — clever
  6. press — a publisher
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. press — newspapers
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. press — to push
  11. perch — the fish
  12. squash — the sport
  13. rash — hasty
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rash — a series
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. kid — to tease
  23. squash — to crush
  24. branch — of a bank

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