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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. press — to push
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. degree — temperature
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. track — a path
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. degree — an amount
  12. toast — bread
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. track — a song
  15. track — to keep track
  16. press — newspapers
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bound — tied together
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. bound — obliged
  21. deal — to handle
  22. bound — certain
  23. degree — from a university
  24. toast — the most admired

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