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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. press — a publisher
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. row — a line
  5. cap — of ice
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. cap — a lid
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. kid — child
  14. branch — a division
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. kid — to tease
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. row — to paddle
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pass — a permit
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. press — to push
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. row — a quarrel

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