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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lean — to bend
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. press — to push
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. press — newspapers
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rest — what's left
  12. craft — boats
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. snap — to click
  15. branch — a division
  16. craft — a skill
  17. chip — for betting
  18. rest — a break
  19. lean — thin
  20. chip — to eat
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. press — a publisher

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