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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. press — a publisher
  3. wound — an injury
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. press — newspapers
  6. spell — a short time
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wound — an injury
  10. branch — a division
  11. can — a tin
  12. swing — to play on
  13. press — to push
  14. march — the month
  15. march — music
  16. can — a tin
  17. swing — music
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. spell — magic
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. spell — letters
  22. swing — in golf
  23. march — the month
  24. mine — belonging to me

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