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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. branch — a division
  3. press — a publisher
  4. staff — employees
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. plane — in geometry
  7. mark — a grade
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. mark — a trace
  12. staff — a stick
  13. plane — a tool
  14. press — to push
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. band — a music group
  18. press — newspapers
  19. pass — a permit
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. scale — in music
  22. staff — employees
  23. scale — size or range
  24. plane — an aircraft

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