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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cap — of ice
  8. press — newspapers
  9. bound — certain
  10. lean — to bend
  11. branch — a division
  12. bulb — for light
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bound — obliged
  15. lean — thin
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. press — a publisher
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. cap — a lid
  21. sharp — clever
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bulb — for light

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