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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Did you ________________ the button?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. file — a tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. file — a document
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. press — to push
  9. bank — of a river
  10. degree — temperature
  11. file — a line of people
  12. wax — to grow
  13. last — finally
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. degree — an amount
  16. wax — for sculpting
  17. bank — for money
  18. degree — from a university
  19. press — newspapers
  20. last — to go on
  21. snap — to click
  22. bank — for money
  23. last — final
  24. branch — a division

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