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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. press — a publisher
  4. press — to push
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. press — newspapers
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. track — a song
  9. branch — a division
  10. march — music
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bulb — for light
  13. kid — child
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. chair — a leader
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. track — a path
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. bulb — for light
  21. march — the month
  22. kid — to tease
  23. track — to keep track
  24. patient — a sick person

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