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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. press — a publisher
  3. swing — music
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. saw — the tool
  6. clip — to cut
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. swing — to play on
  10. swing — in golf
  11. band — a ring
  12. deal — to handle
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. press — newspapers
  17. clip — for paper
  18. press — to push
  19. band — a music group
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. saw — the tool
  22. branch — a division
  23. clip — a video
  24. trunk — of a car

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