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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. press — to push
  3. club — for dancing
  4. fork — in a road
  5. press — newspapers
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. land — ground
  10. branch — a division
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. club — a group
  15. land — a country
  16. club — for golf
  17. land — to come down
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. pound — a weight
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. pitcher — a jug

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