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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. tube — the underground
  4. branch — a division
  5. tube — a container
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. press — to push
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. stem — of a plant
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. roll — a cake
  16. press — newspapers
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. wake — a trail
  19. press — a publisher
  20. band — a ring
  21. roll — a list
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. sharp — clever
  24. band — a music group

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