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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 120 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. press — to push
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. plane — a tool
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. current — happening now
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. current — electric
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. fall — the season
  19. prune — to trim
  20. current — of water
  21. pitch — completely
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — newspapers

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