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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. press — to push
  5. branch — a division
  6. press — a publisher
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. face — to confront
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. press — newspapers
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. face — to point toward
  17. fork — in a road
  18. band — a ring
  19. pop — to visit
  20. deal — to handle
  21. band — a music group
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. face — part of the head
  24. arm — part of the body

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