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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. press — to push
  3. branch — a division
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. cold — an illness
  6. press — a publisher
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. prune — to trim
  10. mug — a cup
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. tube — the underground
  13. hand — help
  14. cold — not warm
  15. mug — to rob
  16. tube — a container
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. mug — a face
  20. prune — to trim
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. hand — in cards
  23. press — newspapers
  24. lash — a whip stroke

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