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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. Did you ________________ the button?
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. press — a publisher
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. spring — of water
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. pass — a permit
  12. spring — the season
  13. tube — the underground
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. press — newspapers
  16. dip — to sink
  17. rash — a series
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. press — to push
  21. tube — a container
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spring — a coil
  24. branch — a division

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