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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. The ________________ took off on time.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. plane — an aircraft
  3. file — a line of people
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. capital — money
  7. plane — a tool
  8. file — a tool
  9. fall — to drop
  10. branch — a division
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fall — the season
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. press — a publisher
  19. capital — a city
  20. file — a document
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bat — the animal
  24. press — to push

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