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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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. suit — to fit
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. press — a publisher
  6. branch — a division
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. cold — not warm
  9. press — to push
  10. cold — an illness
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. band — a music group
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. band — a ring
  20. suit — in cards
  21. stem — to come from
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. suit — clothes
  24. press — newspapers

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