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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. scale — in music
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. press — a publisher
  7. press — to push
  8. press — newspapers
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. present — there
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. dip — to sink
  13. hand — in cards
  14. present — a gift
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. present — the time now
  19. hand — help
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. land — ground
  22. scale — size or range
  23. land — to come down
  24. branch — a division

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