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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 120 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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Word bank
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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. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — to trim
  2. cell — a phone
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. press — newspapers
  5. row — to paddle
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. branch — a division
  8. press — to push
  9. wind — moving air
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. chip — to eat
  14. press — a publisher
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — in biology
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. row — a line
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — for betting
  22. wind — moving air
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. prune — to trim

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