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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. hand — in cards
  3. face — to confront
  4. cold — not warm
  5. craft — a skill
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. press — to push
  8. stock — goods
  9. cold — an illness
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. stock — shares
  12. press — a publisher
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. press — newspapers
  15. hand — help
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. face — to point toward
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. face — part of the head
  24. craft — boats

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