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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. branch — a division
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. last — finally
  5. object — a thing
  6. object — an aim
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. lie — to recline
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wound — an injury
  14. press — to push
  15. swing — in golf
  16. press — newspapers
  17. swing — to play on
  18. wound — an injury
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. last — to go on
  21. press — a publisher
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. swing — music
  24. object — to protest

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