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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 124 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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. cold — an illness
  3. roll — a cake
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. branch — a division
  8. press — a publisher
  9. rash — a series
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. press — newspapers
  12. face — to confront
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. cold — not warm
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. pit — in a race
  22. press — to push
  23. roll — a list
  24. pit — a hole

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