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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. file — a tool
  3. press — to push
  4. object — to protest
  5. branch — a division
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. root — of a plant
  9. chair — a leader
  10. press — a publisher
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. file — a document
  13. object — an aim
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. root — the cause
  16. pit — in a race
  17. file — a line of people
  18. press — newspapers
  19. object — a thing
  20. pit — a hole
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. root — of a word

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