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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. key — for a lock
  7. capital — money
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — in music
  10. mug — to rob
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. press — to push
  13. date — the fruit
  14. press — a publisher
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. mug — a cup
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. mug — a face
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. press — newspapers
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. stem — to come from

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