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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. mug — to rob
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. press — to push
  5. mug — a cup
  6. can — a tin
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. can — to be able to
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. net — after costs
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. can — a tin
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. date — the fruit
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. net — in sport
  20. mug — a face
  21. bat — the animal
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — a publisher
  24. net — for catching

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