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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. branch — a division
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. ball — a dance
  6. swing — to play on
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. press — to push
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. swing — music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. ball — a great time
  15. press — newspapers
  16. tube — a container
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tube — the underground
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. tear — to rip
  21. chip — for betting
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tear — from crying
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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