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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. I've got to change the light ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. press — a publisher
  3. bulb — for light
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. press — newspapers
  7. object — to protest
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. press — to push
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. object — a thing
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. mine — for digging
  19. branch — a division
  20. object — an aim
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bulb — for light
  24. bulb — of a plant

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