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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. branch — a division
  3. press — newspapers
  4. bound — tied together
  5. press — to push
  6. bound — obliged
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. cap — of ice
  9. kid — to tease
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. kid — child
  12. march — the month
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. cap — a lid
  15. march — music
  16. bound — certain
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. face — to point toward
  20. press — a publisher
  21. face — to confront
  22. pass — a permit
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cap — a hat

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