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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. net — for catching
  4. ground — the earth
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. clip — for paper
  7. net — in sport
  8. pitch — completely
  9. press — to push
  10. bank — for money
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. branch — a division
  13. ground — crushed
  14. press — newspapers
  15. clip — a video
  16. bank — of a river
  17. net — after costs
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. press — a publisher
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. clip — to cut
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. ground — a position

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