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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. deal — to handle
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. game — wild animals
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. shower — to wash
  7. band — a music group
  8. game — a match
  9. mate — a friend
  10. band — a ring
  11. mate — to breed
  12. shower — rain
  13. press — a publisher
  14. branch — a division
  15. press — newspapers
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mate — a partner
  22. press — to push
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. hide — to keep secret

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