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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. Did you ________________ the button?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. spring — of water
  3. net — after costs
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. bat — the animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. net — in sport
  9. staff — employees
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. staff — a stick
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. branch — a division
  14. dip — to sink
  15. press — to push
  16. net — for catching
  17. press — a publisher
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. spring — a coil
  23. press — newspapers
  24. dip — a sauce

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