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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 is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — a trail
  9. mate — to breed
  10. branch — a division
  11. track — to keep track
  12. sharp — clever
  13. press — newspapers
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. track — a path
  16. capital — a city
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. capital — money
  20. press — a publisher
  21. rock — music
  22. mate — a partner
  23. press — to push
  24. mate — a friend

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