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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bore — to tire
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. press — to push
  8. cell — a phone
  9. tear — to rip
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. branch — a division
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bore — gave birth
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pound — a weight
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. press — a publisher
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. deal — to handle
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bore — to drill
  23. press — newspapers
  24. tear — from crying

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