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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. press — newspapers
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. chest — a box
  5. lean — thin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. press — a publisher
  8. chest — of your body
  9. chair — a leader
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. fine — all right
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. press — to push
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. branch — a division
  16. fine — high quality
  17. can — to be able to
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. lean — to bend
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. can — a tin
  24. fine — a penalty

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