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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. press — newspapers
  3. capital — money
  4. press — to push
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. shower — rain
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. cue — a signal
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. ground — the earth
  14. cue — a hint
  15. ground — crushed
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. press — a publisher
  18. pass — a permit
  19. capital — a city
  20. cue — for pool
  21. shower — to wash
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. ground — a position

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