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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — newspapers
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. ball — a great time
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. branch — a division
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rock — a stone
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. press — to push
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rock — music
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. snap — to click
  20. ball — a dance
  21. perch — the fish
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. branch — of a bank

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