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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 116 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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. rash — a series
  3. mark — a trace
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. rule — a law
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. rash — hasty
  8. season — of the year
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. press — newspapers
  12. fork — in a road
  13. club — a group
  14. rule — government
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. press — to push
  17. press — a publisher
  18. mark — a grade
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. season — in sport
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — for dancing
  24. branch — of a tree

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