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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. tear — from crying
  3. wound — an injury
  4. press — newspapers
  5. ground — the earth
  6. last — to go on
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. chest — a box
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. last — final
  14. wound — an injury
  15. branch — a division
  16. lie — to recline
  17. tear — to rip
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. chest — of your body
  21. tear — from crying
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. press — to push
  24. last — finally

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