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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 116 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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. last — finally
  3. press — a publisher
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. cell — in biology
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. press — to push
  8. bank — for money
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bank — for money
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. last — to go on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. saw — the tool
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bank — of a river
  18. saw — the tool
  19. press — newspapers
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. perch — the fish

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