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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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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. press — newspapers
  3. march — the month
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. court — for sport
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. press — to push
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. court — of law
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. branch — a division
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. prune — to trim
  15. rush — hurry
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. court — of a king
  20. march — music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. bass — low music
  23. march — the month
  24. bass — the fish

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