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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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. rock — a stone
  4. game — a match
  5. press — to push
  6. march — music
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. march — the month
  9. date — the fruit
  10. charge — a price
  11. press — a publisher
  12. march — the month
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. press — newspapers
  15. game — wild animals
  16. rock — music
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. tear — from crying
  19. charge — in control
  20. tear — from crying
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. branch — a division
  24. charge — electricity

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