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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. branch — a division
  5. season — of the year
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. last — to go on
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kid — child
  11. season — in sport
  12. kid — to tease
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. vault — a safe
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. press — to push
  20. press — newspapers
  21. last — finally
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. press — a publisher
  24. last — final

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