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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 120 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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. object — a thing
  3. object — to protest
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. file — a line of people
  7. press — to push
  8. file — a tool
  9. press — a publisher
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. object — an aim
  13. mug — a cup
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. bat — the animal
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. mug — a face
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. foot — a measure
  22. file — a document
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. press — newspapers

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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