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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. stock — goods
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. bear — the animal
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. press — a publisher
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. press — to push
  13. bear — the animal
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. stock — shares
  17. press — newspapers
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to click
  20. wind — moving air
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — a division
  24. kick — with a leg

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