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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 124 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. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — an amount
  2. land — a country
  3. march — music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. bank — of a river
  6. degree — from a university
  7. press — a publisher
  8. press — newspapers
  9. branch — a division
  10. lean — to bend
  11. bank — for money
  12. land — ground
  13. press — to push
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. march — the month
  16. lean — thin
  17. bank — for money
  18. degree — temperature
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. land — to come down
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. march — the month

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