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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. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — a practice
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rash — hasty
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — employees
  8. can — to be able to
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rash — a series
  13. can — a tin
  14. press — to push
  15. staff — employees
  16. row — a line
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. branch — a division
  19. drill — the tool
  20. can — a tin
  21. row — to paddle
  22. staff — a stick
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. press — newspapers

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