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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 116 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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. press — a publisher
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. hand — help
  12. press — to push
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. hand — in cards
  20. press — newspapers
  21. kick — in football
  22. branch — a division
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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