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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. press — to push
  3. branch — a division
  4. bat — the animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stem — of a plant
  10. land — to come down
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. press — newspapers
  16. land — a country
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. stem — to come from
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. arm — part of the body

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