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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. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. branch — a division
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. press — to push
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. press — newspapers
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wake — a trail
  14. march — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. chair — a leader
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pop — music
  20. march — the month
  21. lie — to recline
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. march — the month
  24. pop — soda

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