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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. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. branch — a division
  3. bass — the fish
  4. land — to come down
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. court — for sport
  8. press — to push
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. press — a publisher
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. stem — to come from
  14. court — of law
  15. land — ground
  16. cell — in biology
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. land — a country
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bass — low music
  23. court — of a king
  24. stem — of a plant

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