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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. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — in music
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. court — of law
  4. bound — tied together
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. bound — obliged
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. shower — rain
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. press — to push
  11. mark — a grade
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. court — for sport
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. court — of a king
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. press — newspapers
  19. shower — to wash
  20. branch — a division
  21. scale — size or range
  22. bound — certain
  23. press — a publisher
  24. mark — a trace

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