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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. fine — high quality
  3. face — part of the head
  4. staff — employees
  5. content — the amount
  6. cap — of ice
  7. branch — a division
  8. cap — a hat
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. face — to confront
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. fine — all right
  15. content — happy
  16. root — of a word
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. face — to point toward
  20. root — the cause
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. root — of a plant
  23. press — newspapers
  24. cap — a lid

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