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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. Did you ________________ the button?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. press — to push
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. press — a publisher
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. present — the time now
  6. ball — a dance
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. rush — hurry
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. press — newspapers
  12. swing — to play on
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. ball — a great time
  16. present — a gift
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. present — there
  19. rest — a break
  20. swing — music
  21. swing — in golf
  22. branch — a division
  23. rest — what's left
  24. rest — what's left

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