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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. craft — a skill
  3. press — a publisher
  4. ground — a position
  5. press — newspapers
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. ground — crushed
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. branch — a division
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. wound — an injury
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. ground — the earth
  21. craft — boats
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. press — to push
  24. mate — a partner

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