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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. branch — a division
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. bound — certain
  9. prune — to trim
  10. wake — a trail
  11. bound — tied together
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chip — for betting
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. press — to push
  17. pit — in a race
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. press — newspapers
  20. chip — to eat
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. bound — obliged

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