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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. content — the amount
  3. press — newspapers
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. cell — in biology
  7. cell — a phone
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. march — the month
  11. rest — what's left
  12. press — to push
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. march — the month
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. perch — the fish
  19. branch — a division
  20. content — happy
  21. rest — what's left
  22. march — music
  23. rest — a break
  24. fan — a supporter

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