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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. ground — crushed
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. drill — army training
  8. fall — to drop
  9. branch — a division
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. press — to push
  13. mine — for digging
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. fall — to drop
  17. press — newspapers
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. fall — the season
  21. ground — a position
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. press — a publisher

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