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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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. stem — to come from
  3. press — to push
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. ground — crushed
  6. staff — employees
  7. branch — a division
  8. board — to get on
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. clip — a video
  11. ground — the earth
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stem — of a plant
  14. staff — a stick
  15. press — a publisher
  16. press — newspapers
  17. ground — a position
  18. clip — for paper
  19. clip — to cut
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bass — low music
  23. board — a committee
  24. bass — the instrument

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