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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. last — finally
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. capital — money
  5. last — to go on
  6. craft — boats
  7. current — of water
  8. press — a publisher
  9. press — to push
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. craft — a skill
  13. capital — a city
  14. rest — what's left
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. rest — a break
  17. current — electric
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. current — happening now
  20. last — final
  21. branch — a division
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. rest — what's left
  24. wave — of the sea

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