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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. press — newspapers
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. row — a line
  8. press — a publisher
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. net — for catching
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. net — after costs
  20. press — to push
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. net — in sport
  24. row — to paddle

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