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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. press — newspapers
  6. ground — the earth
  7. roll — a cake
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. row — to paddle
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. row — a line
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. roll — a list
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. ground — crushed
  16. rash — a series
  17. branch — a division
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. ground — a position
  21. rash — hasty
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. press — to push
  24. stand — to bear

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