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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bass — the fish
  5. race — humankind
  6. press — newspapers
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. chip — to eat
  9. press — a publisher
  10. spring — of water
  11. race — the arms race
  12. bass — low music
  13. spring — the season
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. bat — the animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. chip — for betting
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. spring — a coil
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. press — to push
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. race — a contest

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