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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 116 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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. squash — the sport
  3. press — to push
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. present — a gift
  6. fine — all right
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. fall — to drop
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. fall — to drop
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. press — a publisher
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. lie — to recline
  16. squash — to crush
  17. present — there
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. press — newspapers
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. present — the time now
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fall — the season

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