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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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. scale — in music
  3. press — a publisher
  4. shower — to wash
  5. press — to push
  6. branch — a division
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. shower — rain
  10. hand — help
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. press — newspapers
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. wake — a trail
  17. hand — in cards
  18. scale — size or range
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pass — a permit
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. branch — of a tree

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