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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. ground — crushed
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. press — newspapers
  5. wound — an injury
  6. scale — in music
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ground — a position
  9. scale — size or range
  10. ground — the earth
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — clever
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. press — to push
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. branch — a division
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. branch — of a bank

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