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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. land — a country
  3. press — to push
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. kid — child
  6. squash — to crush
  7. bound — certain
  8. squash — the sport
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bound — obliged
  11. branch — a division
  12. press — newspapers
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. object — an aim
  15. kid — to tease
  16. land — ground
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. object — a thing
  19. land — to come down
  20. object — to protest
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. stand — to bear
  23. bound — tied together
  24. stand — for spectators

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