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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. bark — to shout
  4. band — a music group
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. press — to push
  8. march — the month
  9. suit — to fit
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. press — a publisher
  12. band — a ring
  13. pit — in a race
  14. press — newspapers
  15. suit — in cards
  16. row — to paddle
  17. row — a line
  18. suit — clothes
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. march — the month
  24. march — music

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