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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. spring — a coil
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. present — the time now
  5. press — a publisher
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. court — for sport
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. press — to push
  10. present — a gift
  11. spring — the season
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. present — there
  18. spring — of water
  19. court — of a king
  20. press — newspapers
  21. court — of law
  22. branch — a division
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. branch — of a bank

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