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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. branch — a division
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. spring — of water
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. press — to push
  8. bark — to shout
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. press — newspapers
  11. root — of a word
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. root — the cause
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lean — to bend
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. spring — the season
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. lean — thin
  20. press — a publisher
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. root — of a plant
  24. spring — a coil

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