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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. press — newspapers
  3. fork — in a road
  4. file — a line of people
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. press — a publisher
  7. chip — to eat
  8. ground — a position
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. hand — in cards
  11. chip — for betting
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. ground — crushed
  15. branch — a division
  16. file — a document
  17. press — to push
  18. file — a tool
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. ground — the earth
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. branch — of a tree

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